Naruto's Journey to Hokage
by CannonBaller9Pin
Summary: A month after rescuing Gaara, Naruto is told to undergo a week of intense training with Sakura under Kakashi sensei. From there on, his story picks onwards towards his path to being Hokage. First story, so don't expect greatness. NaruIno.
1. Chapter 1: Introducing the Knucklehead

**Chapter 1: Introducing the Knucklehead**

"… and then I managed to summon Lord Fukasaku instead of the chief!" Naruto said. Sakura looked at the knucklehead knowingly. "What did you do then?", she asked him, knowing that he would tell her anyway.

"I was amazed to see such a small toad appear after the amount of chakra I burnt to perform the Summoning. But the Pervy Sage told me that Lord Fukasaku was an elder and even he was amazed that I had managed to summon him. He even asked the old frog afterwards why he even answered the summons, and the frog told him that he had felt that nobody apart from Jiraiya had summoned him before. He was surprised and so he decided to show up to see who had summoned him." Naruto grinned sheepishly, while Sakura looked at him, still amazed by the ability of Naruto to do the impossible. She said, "I meant, what you did about the fight, baka!"

"Oh yeah! Well, at first I thought that this Summoning hadn't worked out, the old geezer frog had a lot of power for his age. He told us to distract the wolves for a minute while he meditated and when he was done, he casually picked up the wolves as though they were small cats. And he threw them so far away that even I couldn't sense their smell anymore. Needless to say, they never came back to that area again. But then when I realized that the frog was an Elder, it seemed kinda obvious for him to have such strength, didn't it?" Sakura nodded.

It had been just over a month since they had rescued Gaara from the Akatsuki. Well, more like brought back from the dead, considering what had transpired and Lady Chiyo's sacrifice. They had been waiting at the gates of the village for Kakashi sensei, who as usual was keeping up his reputation of being tardy. However, this time Naruto and Sakura had not minded as much as they would normally have, having a lot to talk about in the years of absence of Naruto from the village.

"Yo!" Kakashi said as he shunshined in front of his two students. All thoughts vanished from the minds of the two as they dramatically pointed at him in practiced synchronization and bawled out, "YOU'RE LATE AGAIN!"

"Well, a black cat crossed my path and…" Kakashi began and then barely ducked as two kunai were flung straight at where his head had been a second ago.

"Don't you give us that lame crap again sensei, we don't fall for it anymore. Were you at the Memorial Stone again?" Naruto queried. Kakashi rubbed his head, sheepishly nodding, and said, "Well… yeah I was…" before trailing off. But then he gave them his famous eye smile, "I have some news for you guys. The Hokage has given us a week off for some intense training!"

Sakura's expression remained neutral while Naruto jumped with ecstatic joy, all his anger forgotten. "All right, sensei! That's just what I needed right now!" Naruto shouted.

"I don't mean any offense Kakashi sensei, but can I know why we suddenly were given a week off for training? I can't quite get my head around it." Sakura asked, still carefully neutral. Kakashi nodded knowingly, and said, "I knew you might ask. I asked Lady Tsunade the exact same question. But her answer made me realize how right she was."

"Well?" Sakura asked while Inner Sakura groused, "OUT WITH IT ALREADY!"

Kakashi looked at the two of them seriously, "The Hokage believes that we need to get in some serious training, not only because it has been a long time since we have worked together, but also because she believes that the two of you must really work on your teamwork. 3 years ago, Sakura had only just begun training in medical jutsu and didn't serve much of a team partner in combat. We were the ones who did the fighting while she hung back, waiting to heal us or to protect any client."

"But things have changed now," he continued, "Sakura has become a full-fledged Kunoichi now, able to take hits and punish others as well. Her raw strength, coupled with your stupidly ridiculous endurance, Naruto, will be more than enough to take out huge amounts of enemies in a fight. So the Hokage decided to give us this week off to learn new strategies, new combinations of attacks, and of course, new jutsu as well."

Sakura nodded, knowing that 3 years ago, she probably would be worrying more about her hair getting spoilt rather than taking her training seriously. She wondered how much stronger Naruto must have gotten in the past 3 years. She could see the lean figure he cut now, because of his uniform being a little tighter than the old orange jumpsuit. She wondered how much time he had spent training, though, considering that he was trained by the biggest pervert in the world.

"Well then, that being said, if you guys are up for it now, I'll show you the place where we shall be training," Kakashi said, to which both of them nodded.

The three of them stopped at a small clearing around 10 miles outside the village. It was a small plain ground, surrounded by fruit trees on all sides, with a small stream flowing down at one side. Kakashi looked around, and said, "I was partly responsible for creating this place." Sakura looked at him so fast that she cricked her neck. She put it back in place with a snap, still looking at him incredulously. "How, sensei?" she inquired.

"When I was in the ANBU, my team was sent here to ward off some Stone ninja, who were trying to infiltrate the Leaf. Needless to say, the battle was quite fierce, and of course, the Stone ninjas don't give a damn about trees. I was quite famous back then for my Sharingan, and copied one of their techniques and used it before them. I didn't even know what it was going to do but I was young and foolish and consumed by darkness…"

Sakura allowed him 30 seconds of reminiscence before loudly clearing her throat. Kakashi looked mildly embarrassed and continued, "Anyway, the entire area was covered with a thick barrier of hot stone which burnt all the trees it hit and also killed all the Stone ninjas, except for one. After a while the jutsu stopped and the stone automatically disappeared, leaving me to wonder whether it was a space time manipulation, or something of the sort."

"The only Stone ninja who survived had his leg burned so badly, it was later amputated to save him. He later told us that he was part of a group of ninjas who were exiled from the Stone village. They had tried to infiltrate the Leaf so that they could steal vital information in order to buy their way back into the Stone village. He was given a chance to live as a normal civilian in the Leaf village and jumped at the chance. He is Iguromo, the man who runs the largest ninja supplies shop in the village. We learnt from him that his crafting skills are extremely well refined and gave him a chance to prove his loyalty. And it seemed to work out well."

"Anyway," he said, "Enough talking about the past. I found out that despite the circumstances around the creation of this plain, it is an extremely convenient place to train, being far enough from the village not to be disturbed, but close enough should we have to return in an emergency. So I thought we would rough it out here for a week rather than risking suspension for destroying any training grounds, considering the strength that both of you have, combined." Naruto and Sakura smirked at him.

"Well, what are we waiting for Kakashi sensei? What do we start with?" Naruto said, before he noticed the 'You're a retard.' expressions on both Kakashi and Sakura's faces. "What?" he asked defensively.

"I don't know if you're ready to sleep on the ground Naruto, but I sure as hell am not," Sakura replied. "We'll need to get our tents, sleeping bags and other supplies as well. Right, sensei?"

"Absolutely." came the reply.

"Well, couldn't you just say so?" Naruto grumbled.

"We'll meet here tomorrow at around 8AM, and be sure to bring in some weapons, we can practice those throughout the week too." Kakashi said.

"Alright, sensei!" both his students said.

"See you tomorrow, then!" said Kakashi and vanished from their view.

Sakura and Naruto took to the trees, discussing what types of training they might undergo under their sensei. As they reached the main gates of the village, the bumped into Ino, Shikamaru and Choji. "Hey Naruto and Sakura!" Choji and Ino said, while Shikamaru lazily nodded at them in a most, 'Whatever these guys said' expression.

"Hey, you guys! Heading out for a mission, are ya?" Naruto smiled.

"Yup, you got it! B-rank mission of some sort. We don't exactly know any details because this mission is on a need to know basis only, but the Ino-Shika-Cho formation was specially requested. So we're off to the edge of the Land of Fire," Choji said, while biting into a potato chip as he spoke.

"Alright, well good luck, guys!" Naruto said boisterously, as they nodded to the duo and then took off to the trees. Naruto couldn't help but notice the curves and slender legs of Ino, what with his training with the Pervy Sage, and his own peeping habits. He suddenly felt a killing intent unleashed at him, and turned around to see Sakura staring at him, cracking her knuckles as though she would like nothing better than to beat the stuffing out of him.

"What do you think you were doing right now, staring at Ino's backside like that, NARUTO?" she yelled. Naruto quickly replied, "I wasn't. I was just wondering what kind of mission they could have which was on a need to know basis only."

She looked at him again, not entirely convinced, but accepted his explanation anyway. Naruto heaved a sigh of relief and praised himself for his improved ability to lie so smoothly. Just then Raido, who was at the village entrance, keeping a watch, got a call. The two of them hung back, listening in. It was fortunate that they did, because Raido said, "It was Lady Tsunade. She wants to see the two of you."

"Anything urgent?" Sakura asked, with a hint of worry lacing her voice. He replied, "Didn't sound that way, though I can't be a 100% sure," He frowned, "Either way, you better get going right away, keeping the Hokage waiting is never good for one's health, you know?"

Naruto blanched.

**Author's Note: **Hey, what's up guys, I wanted to tell you something. Yes, I have taken parts of my story from other stories, and I've already obtained permissions from all of them. So, if you feel that I'm stealing stuff, I'm not. I wasn't going to post this, but one guy opened my eyes and told me that I could get banned if someone reported me, so I had to post it. Thanks to BlueGlass54 for pointing it to me. Anyway, hope you guys enjoy this chapter, and I'll talk to you guys later. Oh yeah, Happy Reading!


	2. Chapter 2: Weakest Ninja?

**Chapter 2: Weakest Ninja?**

As they reached Ninja Ops, the duo saw the Hokage looking out of the glass window. She nodded to them and they shunshined straight into her office. She turned towards them and said, "As you may know, I have given the two of you a week off for some intense training along with Kakashi." Both of them nodded, wondering what the Sannin had in mind.

"I wanted to talk about your skills a little bit." Sakura notices that the statement seemed to be directed more towards Naruto than towards her. Naruto, of course, remained blissfully obvious of the situation. The Hokage continued, "Naruto, you have a keen sense of combat and tactics while in the field. You have also displayed intelligence and creativity which many in the village would not have deemed possible from a knucklehead like you." Naruto turned to smirk at Sakura, who groaned. Then the smirk was wiped off his face as the Hokage said, "However, on paper, you are the weakest ninja in the Konohagakure."

He looked at her in incredulous amazement, as did Sakura. Tsunade took her turn to smirk at him while he struggled to find words. Sakura fell into thought, thinking that if he was the weakest ninja in the village, then what it meant for the rest of them.

"But… But…" he continued struggling until Tsunade put her hand up to silence him. She continued, "Of course, these records have not been updated for the past three years since you went for the training trip outside the village. Which is another reason why I wanted you training this week. I saw the skills that you showed during the bell test against Kakashi a month ago, but I want to judge all your skills properly. That is why, after the end of the week, I am going to personally spar with you, to record your skills as they are now."

Sakura gasped involuntarily. For the Hokage to personally spar with a Genin of the village was practically unheard of, even if the Genin just happened to be the biggest knucklehead of the village. She asked nervously, "Milady, are you sure about this?"

"Yes, I am quite sure, Sakura. Now, I will not only fight Naruto alone in an all-out battle, but I am also going to take a TaiJutsu test against the two of you after the training week is over. In this two-on-one match, only hand-to-hand combat will be allowed. That will give me an estimate of how good your teamwork is. The solo match with Naruto will take place after this one, so that the knucklehead can consider it as a warm up." She grinned mischievously, "Which brings me back to your on paper skills, Naruto."

Naruto paled, and began to speak, but she again stopped him and said, "You need to know if you want to improve your chances of being Hokage in the future. As it stands, most of your unarmed combat skills are ranked between C and E, while your weapons and GenJutsu skills are practically non-existent. You only have two A-ranked techniques, the Rasengan and the Shadow Clone Jutsu. Your Summoning technique, while impressive, is not uncommon and holds a C-rank along with your… ahem, Sexy Jutsu. Now, we do not have much of an idea regarding the kind of training you received from Jiraiya, but I'm pretty sure he avoided GenJutsu and weapons."

Naruto nodded slightly, saying, "Pervy Sage only taught me the basics of GenJutsu, mainly how to tell if you are trapped in one, and how to break out of one. And like you said, he totally avoided weapons. But it actually compensated for my unarmed training skills, by improving my TaiJutsu considerably. I reckon I could take Rock Lee on easily now." He said and then realized how that sounded, adding hastily, "I said that because the old pervert thinks that I could probably take on Gai sensei in an even TaiJutsu match and beat him 45% of the time."

Sakura looked at him numbly. Had Naruto really advanced that much in this time? Tsunade looks at his honest face and decided that he wasn't exaggerating. However, she decided that she would confirm it with Jiraiya soon. "Very well," she said, "Let's proceed towards Sakura's report." Sakura nodded, knowing most of the records already.

"As you know, even I have not focused on weapons skills a lot, a simple reason being, that in our time, weapons were considered a soft choice, because we were constantly at war with other villages and NinJutsu and TaiJutsu was the main focus during that time. This is the reason why neither of us taught you almost any weapons. And although I have learned a weapon and passed its skills on to you, I would be pleased if you took the help of a master in that weapon and asked him or her to train you."

Sakura nodded, knowing that this would be the reaction of her teacher, and Naruto asked her, "Which weapon have you learned, Sakura?" She replied, "The battle axe." He nodded, realizing that with her immense strength inherited from the Hokage, she would be able to wield a battle axe quite easily. He considered the amount of damage she could do in a single swipe of the battle axe and understood how dangerous that weapon would be with the wielder as strong as Sakura.

Then the Hokage continued, "However, because of our heavy focus on TaiJutsu as well, I have left out GenJutsu as well, although Sakura is not oblivious to GenJutsu unlike some others standing in this room." She paused to smirk at Naruto and then said, "However, I would like you and Naruto both to work with a GenJutsu expert to increase your skills in that regard. Sakura, your unarmed combat skills are mostly ranked between B and S, which is very impressive for a Chunin. So I expect you to work on weapons, GenJutsu and NinJutsu more, because you are sorely lacking in the latter as well."

Sakura nodded, and Naruto asked Lady Tsunade, "Is there anyone in particular who can teach me any weapons? Other than Tenten?" The Hokage frowned, knowing Tenten's mastery in weapons and wondering why Naruto didn't want to learn from her. But she didn't let it show and said, "You can ask Iruka to teach you a few weapons. He recently made Jonin after you left the village and I'm sure he can teach you well, considering he was the only one who made an effort to teach you anyway." Naruto nodded, and Tsunade said, "Now go, and do some intense training to get back in shape as Team 7!"

"Hai!" Both of them saluted her and shunshined back out of the office. On their way out of Ninja Ops, they ran into Shizune. Sakura immediately took the opportunity to ask her to teach them GenJutsu. Shizune was happy to oblige and told them that she could take GenJutsu lessons for them every weekend. They went towards the academy happily. Naruto met Iruka sensei at the academy and Iruka was only happy to pass on his weapons skills to his favorite students. He took Naruto and Sakura to Ichiraku's for some ramen, and then asked them why they suddenly had an itching to learn weapons. Naruto told them of their situation on paper, and Iruka nodded, saying, "Well, unlike the Chunin exams, which you can pass by fluke or by using your team-mates, the Jonin exams are a trial of the five pillars of the Ninja Arts. So unless you pass in all of them, you cannot become a full Jonin. So I will be happy to teach you all that I know."

"Which weapons do you know, Iruka sensei?" Sakura asked.

"I have learned the xiphos, short sword, the manriki-gusari (weighted chain), the pole staff, longsword, light throwing blades, tonfas and the staff blade, which is my primary weapon."

Sakura frowned, and asked, "The staff blade, Sensei? But that is just a training weapon and not usually used in real fights." Iruka nodded, taking a bite of noodles, and then said, "Do you know the way the staff blade works, Sakura?"

She nodded, saying, "The staff blade incorporates attacks from any other weapon and makes it easier to practice different weapon styles at the same time with one weapon itself." Iruka nodded again, saying, "Not only that, but the staff blade can be used in any way that all of the rest of my weapons can be used. Except the light throwing blades and manriki-gusari, of course. So do you see the pattern here?"

Naruto spoke, "Since you have mastered all those weapons and the staff blade, you need only carry the staff blade with you and incorporate all the attacks from your other weapons into it." Both Iruka and Sakura looked as shocked as they felt. They hadn't expected Naruto to come up with an explanation with words that he couldn't even spell. They wondered if there was more to Naruto than he was letting them on.

Naruto continued, "Iruka sensei, can you teach me the staff blade? I have had a longing to learn it for a while now, but I never found a teacher before." Iruka said, "Of course, I will. And what about you, Sakura?" She thought about it and then said, "I think I should go for the manriki-gusari and the pole staff. Both are slightly long range weapons, and the manriki-gusari will allow me to use my strength, while the pole staff will help keep enemies at bay." Iruka smiled at her thoughtfulness and said, "Ok then, barring any missions you guys might have, we shall begin training every afternoon at 4."

Naruto said, "Sensei, we won't begin training until next week. Grandma Tsunade has given us the week of to get in some teamwork training done with Kakashi sensei, so we won't be available to train with you till next week." Iruka looked at the two of them and thought, "Of course. Naruto has not been here in three years, and Sakura has turned out to be an excellent Kunoichi as well. They will have to work on new strategies before they can head out for co-op missions." He smiled and said, "Not a problem, Naruto. It's not like I'm going anywhere."

"Okay then, see you later, Sensei!" they both said as they exited Ichiraku's. He smiled and continued eating silently.

"Ok Sakura, looks like we have some teachers to learn GenJutsu and weapons from now on. Well, I'll see you tomorrow for the training with Kakashi sensei." Naruto said. Then he added, "Make sure you reach by 10am." Sakura frowned and said, "But I thought Kakashi sensei said 8…" she trailed off realizing who she was talking about, and what Naruto had said and smiled mischievously. "You got it, Naruto."

They headed home and split up when they had to take separate paths. The two of them thought only one thing as they reached home, 'Why did Kakashi sensei and Tsunade keep saying 'intense' training?''


	3. Chapter 3: The Training Begins

**Chapter 3: The Training Begins**

'Hey, good morning, Kakashi sensei!' Naruto wished his tardy teacher as he and Sakura jumped to the trees alongside him. 'Naruto?' Kakashi looked at him, 'I thought I said 8AM to you guys.'

'Of course, when you say 8AM, you mean 10AM, sensei,' Naruto said lightly, causing Kakashi to smile sheepishly. 'I guess you're right,' he said as they continued along to their destination. They didn't speak for a while, then Naruto asked, 'So what kind of training are gonna do, sensei?'

'You'll see soon enough Naruto. It's twice the type of training I did back in the day.' Kakashi replied, with just a hint of darkness in his voice. Naruto and Sakura shuddered involuntarily. They reached the plain where they were to train and set down their gear. They noticed that Naruto had only one small bag with him, which could definitely not have contained his tent within it. Sakura started getting annoyed and asked him, 'Where is your tent bag, baka?'

Naruto just smirked at her, and pointed to his belt, 'Ever heard of storage scrolls, Sakura?'

'Of course I have, what a stupid….' She trailed off as she saw him focus his chakra into one of the scrolls he had just taken off his belt and saw a tent appear. She frowned, thinking, 'It's not uncommon to use storage scrolls for small things such as weapons, but to keep a tent or other bigger objects in scrolls requires a higher skill level of FuinJutsu. I keep my battle axe in my scroll. But I never would have thought that Naruto knew FuinJutsu. I wonder how many surprises he is gonna show us now that he's back.'

If Kakashi was surprised, he hid it well, saying, 'Not a bad idea to use FuinJutsu to keep a tent in it. Can you show me the hand-signs and the kanji so that I can also use it next time?' Naruto smiled and said, 'Sure thing sensei, but how will you create…..' he trailed off as Kakashi gave him an eye smile and uncovered his headband. 'I see,' Naruto said, and started the hand-signs. He signed Ushi, Uma, Tori, Hitsuji, Ne, Tatsu, Mi, and Kakashi quickly recorded the technique. Then Naruto opened the scroll from which he had summoned the tent and showed Kakashi the kanji. After Kakashi had recorded that as well, he created a FuinJutsu scroll immediately and was surprised that it took almost no chakra from his reserves to store the tent in there. He looked at Naruto again with a little more respect than usual.

'Where did you learn this technique from, Naruto? I don't think Master Jiraiya was particularly fond of FuinJutsu,' he said. Naruto smiled widely and said, 'That's a long story Kakashi sensei, maybe another time.'

Kakashi nodded, understanding that Naruto did not wish to share the knowledge at the time so he did not press further. 'Alright, ladies and knuckleheads, today we are going to be working on the first pillar of the Ninja Arts. Namely, TaiJutsu. As we know already, TaiJutsu is the use of hand-to-hand combat, mostly without chakra but, in some cases, using chakra to boost one's strength to an almost inhuman level,' he said, slightly inclining his head towards Sakura, who just smiled sweetly at him, causing him to shudder.

'TaiJutsu has hundreds of forms and methods, but most shinobi prefer to learn a handful and refine them rather than try to learn dozens which they can barely use. As of now, the Leaf Village is the second strongest hidden village when it comes to unarmed fighting. The strongest, of course, is the Stone Village due to their solid builds and the ability to take a hit properly, without flinching. However, every form of TaiJutsu is susceptible to something or the other. The ability to refine the form to an extent that no one can break through, that is the mark of a true master.'

'For example, there are very few people who can break through the Gentle Fist by their strength alone. A live example, of course, stands in front of us.' Kakashi said, reminding them of their first Chunin exams. Naruto smiled slightly; he had met Neji briefly the previous day and was amazed by the way Neji greeted him, almost as friendly as Shikamaru, or even Choji were towards him.

Kakashi continued, 'I will tell you all the forms I know which are used in the Leaf village as well as some that we do not use but which I have copied from other villages. They include the Hard Fist, Twelve Kicks of Fury, Gentle Fist, Dragon Style, Unbreakable Willow, Tiger Style, Snake Fist, Eagle's Claw and many others, which form the base for the other TaiJutsu forms which evolve past the basic forms by combining two or more of the arts. For example, a person using the Unbreakable Willow along with the Tiger Style will be undoubtedly difficult to defeat in unarmed combat alone.'

'However, it takes months to develop a fighting style that is unique to the person creating it. Therefore, if you wish to develop such a unique style, you will have to find the balance on your own. Although I will always be there to guide you, of course.'

Sakura nodded, and said, 'Lady Tsunade mixed the Tiger Style and the Hard Fist for a TaiJutsu form she calls the Steel Tiger. She has just recently started to teach it to me, and it is quite difficult from the regular Tiger Style which I have learnt a couple of years ago.'

Kakashi agreed and said, 'Alright, I was thinking we could start at the basics, working more on simple punches, jabs, and counters. That way we can see how both of you do. Both of you will fight each other. No chakra boosting your muscles, you don't want to hurt each other. Simply TaiJutsu, nothing more.'

Both of them agreed. 'Begin,' he said, and they shot off towards each other even before he finished his second syllable. Sakura reached Naruto and threw a right punch to his left lung while getting in a jab to his right thigh from her left hand. Naruto slid to the right to avoid her punch. Her jab was quite weak due to her right handed fighting style. Naruto blushed as her left hand touched close to his privates as he had slid to his right instead of left. She blushed furiously too, but pressed the attack even as she twirled around to avoid his left uppercut and land a blow of her own on his left shoulder. Even though she was not boosting her chakra, Naruto felt a slight crack in his left shoulder before the bone started healing automatically.

'Dammit Sakura, how did you do that? Are you that much stronger now?' thought Naruto as he slid between her hands to land a light offhand punch on her chest, blushing again as he did so. She slid a few feet back from the pressure on the punch and wondered how much of his strength he had put into that punch. She charged back into the fight and threw twin punches to his face and stomach. Naruto dropped in a perfect split and threw his hands in front of him, blocking her next punch while cartwheeling backwards from the force at the same time.

As he jumped back into battle, he aimed a feinted jab at her eyes and threw in a punch to her stomach. She was able to see the feint coming and knocked aside his punch with her right hand while aiming an upper punch towards his right hand, which had gone for the feinted jab. He pulled his hand back to the left at the last moment and caught her hand with his own, pulling her towards him while aiming his left hand towards her heart. She jumped straight up into the air, using his right hand as leverage, and landed behind him, scoring a light punch to the back of his head.

Stars exploded in front of Naruto's eyes as he reeled forward and fell a couple of meters away from where she had hit him. He got up slowly, rubbing his head, and said, 'You do realize that I'm not your enemy, right?' She scratched her head sheepishly, 'I didn't expect that punch to be so hard.'

'Then maybe I need to stop holding back,' Naruto said. She looked at him, amazed and thought, 'He was holding back all this time? Just how strong is Naruto?' Her unasked question was answered when his next punch came thrice as fast and she barely blocked it by crossing her hands in front of her chest. She felt the bone in her right arm crack from the pressure and gaped at Naruto, who was now dancing around her like a professional boxer on his toes.

'Okay, that's it for now,' said Kakashi. He had been observing the fight with his Sharingan and had seen that while Naruto had mostly been using the preferred fighting method of Master Jiraiya, he had been mixing in the Tiger Style and Iron Monk forms as well. He wondered where Naruto had picked up the Iron Monk form, because he had only ever seen one person use it and that person was Naruto's mother.

'No sense in wondering about it right now, I'll ask Master Jiraiya about it later,' he thought as he called them over. Sakura began healing her right arm, still worried that he could crack her arm just by a single punch. Naruto walked over, flexing his shoulder to exercise his recently cracked bone. Kakashi wondered whether he could nominate his team for the International TaiJutsu Tournament, with these two cracking each other's bones in light training. He said, 'That was a good start. I can see that you two perform the styles of Master Jiraiya and Lady Tsunade very well. Naruto, were you using the Iron Monk form there?'

'Yes sensei, but before you ask, it's a long story connected to the thing we spoke about earlier,' Naruto replied carefully. He added, 'Even the Pervy Sage has promised not to tell anyone until I am ready to reveal it so there is no use asking him.'

Kakashi nodded and then started telling them a few tricks he had picked up during his time in the ANBU. The two of them started listening appreciatively, and Kakashi made them work in sets of each style. They went on for the rest of the day, until both of them were sore. Kakashi said, 'Tomorrow, we can start with the real training.' Both Naruto and Sakura blanched.


	4. Chapter 4: The Power of the Kyuubi

**Chapter 4: The Power of the Kyuubi**

The last three days had been very hard on both Naruto and Sakura. Kakashi had made them work so hard that for the first time in his life, Naruto had not recovered from his previous day's injuries. This was the result of the chakra weights that Kakashi had brought from Iguromo. Iguromo made only three to four sets of chakra weights every year, so he had saved one set of each for a rainy day. Kakashi only needed to ask and he got them in an instant. The chakra weights were divided into three categories, that is, blue, yellow and red.

Kakashi explained how the weights work. "The blue weights weigh 25 pounds each, the yellow weigh 50 pounds, and the red weigh 100 pounds each. By channeling one's chakra into the weights, one can reduce the weights by a factor of 5. So one red weight will measure 20 pounds if it is being fed chakra. But these are greedy things, and will take as much chakra as you can provide. So if you do not have enough chakra control over your body, you will feel the full weight of the chakra weights."

Sakura fell backwards onto the ground and started to heal her injuries with whatever little chakra she had left. Naruto was still standing, if only barely. Sakura looked up at him and gaped at how he was still holding up after the punishment they had just gone through. Each of them was wearing 5 red chakra weights on each leg and 5 yellow and 2 red chakra weights on each of their hands. After having their chakra expended, the students had felt the full weight of the chakra weights on their limbs and had not been able to cope up. Kakashi had seen a glimpse of red entering into Naruto's eyes and had enabled his Sharingan to see if he could spot anything. But the moment he uncovered his Sharingan, the warrior stopped seeing the red glimpse and decided that he had just imagined it.

"How are you doing it?" Sakura asked Naruto that evening. Their teacher had gone to collect some dinner from the village since the two were too exhausted to do anything else. "Doing what?" Naruto asked her, totally confused. Sakura presses, "How are you managing to stand at the end of the day with those weights on? If I put it bluntly, I'm just as strong as you. What are you doing differently?" Naruto looked at her surprised. "I don't really know, Sakura. I just seem to have more stamina, I guess."

Sakura sighed. Of course, the knucklehead never knew when to give up. That had to be part of the reason at least. Kakashi sensei had removed their weights for them because they could not even move their muscles. As they debated what to do next, Kakashi appeared next to them, along with Shizune and Ino. The duo looked at the newcomers, surprised to see them, and looked up questioningly at Kakashi sensei. He answered their expressions, "I went too hard on you guys today. I'm sorry about that. I can't have you falter in the middle of your training. So, I brought Shizune here to check your injuries and heal you. I met Ino on the way and she decided to help as well."

Shizune looked at both of them and determined that Sakura needed most of the help because the knucklehead was already regenerating his wounds. She told Ino to help him with the process while she tended to Sakura. Ino looked at Naruto who had removed his jacket and tank top, sitting bare-chested outside his tent, and felt a slight blush, looking at his ripped figure. He had been scrawny when she last saw him. She went over to his tent and told him to lie down inside so that she could heal his wounds properly. As the two of them started working on the students' wounds, Kakashi slid up to Naruto's tent and said, "I wanted to talk to you Naruto."

"Yeah, Ka…Kakashi sen…sei?" Naruto faltered.

"I'm sorry to bring it up right now, but it has to be in private. If you could step out for a minute, Ino?" he said. Ino nodded, saying, "Just give me a second to close this cut up and I'll be gone. He's mostly healed up anyway." Kakashi nodded. After Ino had left the tent, Kakashi signed Inu, Tatsu, Tori, Hitsuji, Ushi, and said, "Air Vacuum Jutsu." Looking at Naruto's confused face, he said, "I have to make sure this does not leave the tent." Naruto nodded. "Naruto, have you been using the Kyuubi's chakra today?" Kakashi asked.

Naruto frowned. He had not been aware of reaching into that source of power. He looked back up at Kakashi sensei, totally confused and lost. Kakashi sensei realized that he did not have any idea about whether he had been using the Kyuubi's chakra and so he did not press the matter. However, he told Naruto, "I'm gonna be using one weight less for you on each limb, because I do not want to have anything to do with the Kyuubi on this trip."

"I understand, sen…sei," Naruto said, exhaustion taking over him. Kakashi released his jutsu and turned to leave when a sudden gust of wind behind him compelled him to turn around. His uncovered eye went wide as he saw Naruto standing in front of him, three red chakra tails lashing out behind him, his red slitted eyes glowing maniacally and a Wind Rasengan glowing in his hand. The Kyuubi crooned, "**The boy understands, Kakashi. But you were too late. He is mine.**"

Kakashi dived out of the tent just in time to avoid a chakra tail of the Kyuubi from catching him. He looked back up at the demon and had only one thought in his mind. "Oh shit."

"Everyone get back!" Kakashi warned the women who were regarding the situation with varying degrees of wariness and fright. Ino was not sure what she was seeing and Sakura and Shizune were practically riddled with fear. Then it suddenly clicked in Ino's mind and she looked back at Naruto with fear and worry in her eyes. "Naruto…" she said softly. The demon fox looked at her with a wicked smile in his eyes, and said, "**The boy is not available to answer your call right now. But you can leave a message.**"

With that being said, the Kyuubi dashed towards the women with the Wind Rasengan becoming dangerously bigger with every step. Shizune tried to get in between the Kyuubi and the students, who were paralyzed with fear. But the Kyuubi suddenly stopped. He looked down at his left foot, with a bewildered look on his face. But suddenly, the left half of Naruto's face became clear and he roared, "HOLD IT RIGHT THERE, KYUUBI!"

The others looked at the now clear part of Naruto, totally amazed at his ability to repel the Kyuubi on his own. Kakashi stared at the evolving form and wondered, "How did he do it? How can Naruto be so strong despite being almost unconscious a few moments ago?" Then he remembered the chakra tags that Master Jiraiya had given him. The old pervert had said that they would drag out the chakra out of the boy, should he ever be influenced by the Kyuubi. But he had also said that the tags would only work up to the two tails mode. But Kakashi decided to risk it, seeing that Naruto had already taken control over half his body.

Meanwhile in the psyche of the seal, Kyuubi was having a hard time digesting the fact that Naruto was able to force partial control over his influence. He wondered whether there was more to Naruto than he had thought. He said, "**Do you really think that you can stop me in this state of yours? You were hardly able to stand some time ago.**" Naruto grinned smugly, causing the Kyuubi to become even more frustrated. "**What are you grinning at like that for, boy?**" Naruto's smile became much wider and suddenly the Kyuubi's mind realized what had happened. Even when Naruto had been in one or two tails mode, his body had regenerated to a point where it was almost impossible to cut him and expect it to bleed. The Kyuubi had been sending all the chakra possible outside its psyche, to take control of the boy, and in that haste, he had also healed the boy instantly, regenerating not only his body, but also his chakra supply. Naruto grinned as the Kyuubi mulled over things as they were at the moment; He thought, "**I could kill one or maybe two of the weaklings outside before Naruto takes back the control, or I could** **try to force Naruto back somehow and then possess his body again….. No, that won't work. The boy's will is too strong. Then what can I do** to…"

But the beast had wasted too much time thinking. Faster than anyone could see, Kakashi substituted himself for the small log of wood in front of Naruto and slapped two of his chakra tags to Naruto/Kyuubi's forehead. "**NO!**" the demon cried out as he felt his energy being drawn away from the him and tried to take Naruto's body back into his control, but it was a losing battle. Naruto wrested control away from the Kyuubi and for good measure, sent a Rasenshuriken in his psyche through the seal to the Kyuubi. It was enough to distract the orange fox for a second, enough for Naruto to take total control into his own hands.

Naruto shuddered as he sat slowly onto the ground, not knowing that he was still bare-chested. Kakashi darted into his tent and got his jacket out for him. Naruto slipped it on thankfully and asked, "What just happened, Kakashi sensei? Why did the Nine Tails come out?" Ino gasped, her suspicions confirmed. Kakashi looked at her and it was the graveness of the situation that kept her from pointing at Naruto and demanding an explanation. She looked at Kakashi sensei and nodded.

All of them sat together, Shizune still healing some minor wounds on Sakura's biceps. Kakashi said, "Ino, this will not go outside this group." Ino nodded fervently. He continued, "Naruto is indeed the Jinchuuriki of the Nine Tailed Fox. This is only known to the civilian and ninja adults of the Hidden Leaf Village. There was a reason why children weren't told about him, but most of their parents did not want to let their children near him anyway. Your parents must have also said the same." Ino nodded again, tears forming in her eyes. She looked at Naruto and said, "I'm so sorry, Naruto. If I had known…"

Naruto interrupted her, "If you had known, you probably would have hated me more at that time, for being the monster that almost destroyed the Hidden Leaf. As a kid, I was always being beaten up by drunk civilians and other people for being a monster. Nobody gave me a chance to prove my worth in this village, until I met Iruka sensei. But I survived through it and made friends such as Sakura, Shikamaru, Choji, Kiba, Kakashi sensei and….. And Sasuke as well." He faltered. Then he looked at her determinedly and continued, "And I don't feel bad about being a Jinchuuriki. It tells me that the Fourth Hokage thought that I would be brave enough to cope with it, and that makes me feel very proud. I have subdued the Kyuubi for the first time now, but now that I have done it, I have no doubt I will do it again."

Ino looked at him again, and then hugged him. His arms fell to his sides, stunned at her reaction and more than mildly embarrassed. Sakura looked annoyed at this sudden affectionate display but also worried and relieved the Naruto had repelled the Kyuubi on his own. Well, mostly, considering Kakashi's help. Shizune was happy to see that her self-appointed brother had become so mature and strong. And Kakashi sensei gave Naruto his eye smile.


	5. Chapter 5: The Training Ends

**Chapter 5: The Training Ends**

The rest of the week went by normally, with Ino and Shizune dropping by once more, this time to have lunch with the team. Sakura noticed that Ino kept glancing towards Naruto, but she guessed that it must have been because of the Kyuubi and decided not to talk about it yet. Kakashi sensei had picked up their training again but was making sure not to tax Naruto too much. He had his Sharingan out every day, making sure that he did not spot a single bit of Kyuubi's chakra in Naruto's body, apart from the stomach where the demon was sealed.

In the entire week, they had grasped the basics of all the TaiJutsu forms Kakashi had taught them, learned a few NinJutsu of the wind, lightning and water affinities. Naruto had displayed proficiency in wind and lightning, but could not grasp water jutsus at all. Kakashi took a guess that the Kyuubi, being a fire spirit, must have interfered with this ability. Sakura could handle water and lightning well, although she was weaker in lightning jutsus than Naruto. Kakashi thought, 'They made some amazing progress this week. If they had been training like this for even just a year or so more, I'm pretty sure they could surpass their teachers, the Sannin.'

It was finally time to head back to the Leaf Village. As the two started packing up their bags, Kakashi stopped them. Naruto raised his eyebrow at Kakashi, who explained, "I'm bending the rules. We are going to have a test of what you learned in this past week so that I can sum up your skills all at once."

Both of them nodded at him. He took them to a part of the ground further away from where they usually trained. He said, "As you can see, I have marked a circle of this ground to use for this test. You cannot leave this marked circle, nor can I. Anyone who leaves it even by mistake will be disqualified, and will not be able to get their hands on one of them."

Sakura looked confused but Naruto just groaned knowingly, as Kakashi removed two bells from his pocket. He said, "You have until noon to get the bells. And Naruto, I've finished reading **that** book so that trick won't work again."

"I wrote **half** of the next book," shot back Naruto. Kakashi stammered, "Well then, let's just make that a disqualifying offense this time shall we?" Naruto just smirked evilly at him, and he shuddered. He swallowed his fear and said, "Begin!" Both of them just stood there. Sakura looked at Naruto and nodded. Naruto raised his hands and signed, "Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Scores of clones shot out running around randomly, until the traps started showing up. Naruto clones were strung up by lasso ropes, fell into pits, coughed as poison fogs shot into the air and exploded as hidden kunai flung into them. Kakashi gaped at them as his week-long efforts were destroyed immediately. He tried to calm himself but couldn't stop from almost crying as his traps were destroyed in seconds.

Naruto and Sakura smirked at him, Naruto saying, "Shall we begin now, sensei?" Kakashi stared at them, totally dumbfounded. Then he asked, "What gave it away?" Sakura said, "Apart from the fact that we couldn't leave the circle? We saw you digging something here today at dawn. I told Naruto and he decided that you must be setting up something. We know you too well now, sensei!"

Kakashi nodded wearily, feeling quite old all of a sudden. But he got no more time to relax as Naruto suddenly attacked him with a ferocity that he never would have expected from him. He punched and jabbed and kicked with all the fierceness of an animal and strength of a demon. Kakashi saw that his eyes had become red and slitted. He asked, "What the hell are you doing, Naruto?"

Naruto spoke and his voice contained the growl of the Kyuubi, "**You told me to take the bells, didn't you? And the only way I can do so is to come at you with lethal force."** Kakashi wondered whether the Kyuubi had possessed him again and tried to get his headband up, but it was too late.

Kakashi was suddenly lifted up into the air and flung to his side. He bounced onto the ground once and then cartwheeled back to his feet. He looked up to see what had happened and to his surprise, saw Sakura standing with one hand holding a bell and the other in a 'V' pose. And Naruto stood next to her with the other bell in his hand, his eyes completely cerulean blue and smirking at Kakashi. As realization dawned up Kakashi, he asked, "The whole thing was just an act?"

Naruto grinned, "Of course, it was. As if I would ever hurt you, sensei. I Just figured that if I attacked you hard enough, you would forget about Sakura." Kakashi scratched his head, embarrassed and said, "You guys know me too well to make this a valid test. You pass, for what it's worth."

And he thought in his mind, 'You've even surpassed me now. Keep it up and become the heroes of the future.'

As they headed back to the village, they met Lee, Neji and Tenten along with Gai sensei. "Hey everyone!" Naruto said boisterously, as they joined groups and headed to the village. "Back from a mission?" he asked, to which Lee and Neji nodded. Gai sensei looked at them and said, "We had gone to the Land of Air to help the Sand Ninjas with a rescue mission. Our skills were specially requested because of our team's speed." Kakashi asked, "What was the mission?" Gai replied, "Some technicians had gone missing from the Land of Air in the past few weeks. It was our mission along with a Sand team to find their trail and rescue them."

"Our secondary objective was to eliminate the threat, if any." Lee and Neji nodded appreciatively at that while Tenten sighed. Naruto noticed their expressions and asked, "What happened? Were there many enemies?" Lee nodded, while Neji explained, "The kidnappings were conducted by a group of rogues who wanted to use technology to try to use jutsu by creating jutsu circuits. They had already reached the final stages when we stopped them." Naruto didn't seem appeased so Neji continued, "Circuits are fragile things; jutsu circuits even more so. A simple water jutsu was enough to negate the circuits that the bandits had strapped to their hands."

Naruto nodded, remembering that Pervy Sage had taught him about circuits but he had not paid that much attention at the time. As they reached the village gates, Raido and Genma looked at them and said, "Identification?"

Everyone stopped, surprised and incredulous. Kakashi said, "What's the matter, Genma? Why are you asking for identification from us? You know us very well." Genma nodded, but kept his guard. "The Hokage just received word from the Kazekage that a group of robbers have gained a scroll from a tomb of a disciple of the Sage of Six Paths. It allows the robbers to transform into anyone they have ever seen before, and that the transformation is so perfect that not even an elite ninja can make out the difference."

Kakashi and Gai looked at each other, then suddenly sprung two kunai out and threw them at each other. All the students looked surprised at this exchange and tensed in anticipation. Kakashi asked sternly, "What was the first thing Might Gai ever said to me in the academy, after he and I passed and became Genin?" Gai responded, "I challenge you Kakashi! You cannot match the power of the Handsome Devil of the Leaf Village!" Despite the grave situation, Gai could not help but blush in embarrassment as he said the words. Both Kakashi and Gai relaxed. Naruto had to stuff his fist in his mouth to stop laughing, while Gai's team did not react, having heard this sort of stuff way too many times.

Gai grumbled, "Of all the things you could ask me, you had to ask that?" Kakashi said, "I had to be certain." But his eyes gave his amusement away. Everyone relaxed and Genma allowed them to continue. As they made their way to Ninja Ops, Gai and Kakashi fell back a bit, talking to themselves in hushed tones. Naruto couldn't help but try to overhear them, but Kakashi had used the Air Vacuum Jutsu to keep him out of earshot.

They reached Ninja Ops to find Lady Tsunade standing outside, waiting for them. She started talking as soon as they reached, "It's good that I found you guys together. I have a mission for you. Get in the office. I'm waiting for another person." They obliged, shunshining straight into her office. After a couple of minutes, Naruto started fidgeting and Sakura gave him a light pounding on the head to keep him from doing something stupid.

Just as things were getting nervous, Tsunade stepped into the room along with the forms of Asuma, Ino, Shikamaru and Choji. She looked at everyone as she sat in her chair. As she was about to talk, she received a call. "WHAT IS IT?" she yelled into the phone before calming down considerably. "Sorry, Gaara, I'm a bit on edge right now. I have three teams in my office right now. Want me to switch to loudspeaker mode?" He must have obliged because she did.

"As you must know by now, a group of robbers have desecrated the tomb of a legendary ninja who was a student of the Sage of Six Paths. This student was a master of disguise and the scrolls hidden in the tomb have helped the robbers achieve the same transformation skills. This is extremely infuriating for the Land of Air, because the student was from our country and it is a matter of personal pride for us. The gang which stole the scroll was last seen in the Land of Greens and is quite large too. I am sending three teams to the Land of Greens. I wish to take the help of your teams as well, since these robbers could be anyone. You need to find and eliminate these robbers. Show no mercy."

Gaara's cold and slow voice showed that he was deeply insulted by this bold show and was going to go to any extent to stop this immediately. Naruto cracked his knuckles happily, but Kakashi looked at Sakura and they nodded at once. Kakashi said, "With all due respect, I would like our team to be replaced with Team 8." Everyone looked at him in surprise. Then they saw the look in his eyes and the tattered clothes of Naruto and Sakura. They realized where Kakashi was coming from. Lady Tsunade looked at them and asked, "Why Team 8, Kakashi?"

He nodded, knowing she would ask, "Team 8 is a tracking specialist team. Shino's bugs, Kiba's nose and Hinata's eyes cannot be fooled. I have no doubt that they would be a much better choice. Even if we have a better combat ability, they compensate with it because of their respective clans' hidden Jutsus."

The Hokage understood and then Kakashi continued, "Besides, I wish to speak to in private, with something concerning Naruto." Tsunade replied, "Don't worry about that, Shizune told me everything. However, we will need to talk to you privately, Ino." Ino nodded, and her team mates looked at her. She shook her head and they understood.

Lady Tsunade continued, addressing the rest of them, "All of you, go and get some rest. Pack your bags and gear. You will meet me at the gates tomorrow at 7AM. Rendezvous with the Hidden Sand ninja at the Land of Greens. Gaara and I will give you a password with which you will recognize each other. Understood?"

"Yes Milady!" all the shinobi said, except for Kakashi, Naruto and Sakura. The Hokage dismissed everyone but for the three of them and Ino. Ino looked at the Sannin and said, "A Blood Oath, right?" Lady Tsunade nodded sadly. "It is necessary, to preserve the knowledge until it is time to let it be known." Ino asked, "And what will the penalty be?" The Sannin replied, "Memory loss should be sufficient."

Ino nodded, lowering her top slightly to inscribe the kanji for the Blood Oath on her chest. Naruto couldn't help but peek and got a small nosebleed. Ino didn't notice, but Sakura sure did. As Naruto clutched his head in pain, Ino continued, "I, Ino Yamanaka, of The Village Hidden in the Leaves, pledge to keep the secret of Naruto being the Jinchuuriki of the Nine Tails from anyone in the world except those in front of me right now unless it is somehow required. If I should convey this information to anyone, then I shall lose all memory of the taboo subjects."

Lady Tsunade nodded at her, and dismissed her. Ino looked at Naruto once before leaving. Naruto nodded slightly towards her and gave her an encouraging smile which she returned. As she left, all eyes returned to the Hokage, who said, "Now, I want to know everything in detail. What happened?" Kakashi explained how his training regime had cause Naruto to exhaust all his chakra, using the Kyuubi's chakra and it had led to the beast taking over. As he went on, Tsunade's eyes narrowed. She thought, 'So, Minato's seal was not as strong as we thought it. It is already cracking slowly, and if we do not do anything soon, we may as well have signed our own death warrants.'

She looked up at them, and said, "Now that you guys aren't going on the mission, I want both of you to rest for 2 days. After that, I will take your test. Both of you are dismissed. Kakashi, hang on." Naruto and Sakura took their leave, and Kakashi looked at the Hokage. Tsunade sighed and said, "Another seal will have to be applies over Minato's seal, Kakashi. I do not want to take any chances of letting what happened 16 years earlier repeat again."

He nodded, thinking of the same thing. "However, we must make sure that the seal is evenly matched. You know that Orochimaru had once put a 5 Pronged Seal over the Eight Trigram Seal, right?" The Sannin nodded, "Jiraiya told me about it interfering even with the boy's own chakra. But we'll find another seal. Most possibly the Divine Zodiac Animal Seal." Kakashi's eye widened.

**Author's Note**: Hey guys, I hope you're enjoying the story so far, I just wanted to clear a few things out. I have been receiving hateful messages in my inbox by people who say that I have been copying stuff from other people's stories. I just wanna say, SO WHAT! It's a fanfiction site, isn't it? Many of the ideas which I had for Naruto have been adopted already by other people, so is it my fault that my stuff is similar to other fics? And anyway, this isn't like something I'm getting money for, ya know? I'ts just for fun, so anyone who doesn't want me picking ideas from other people's stories, please don't read my fics. Peace.


	6. Chapter 6: Showtime! Sannin vs Genin!

**Chapter 6: Showtime! Sannin VS Genin!**

As the two days passed, Naruto and Sakura recuperated. Naruto, of course, was back to full energy in a day, but Sakura took some extra time to heal. However, after the 2 days were over, both the students were ready to fight their Hokage. The Hokage called them over to Ninja Ops and told them that their match would take place where they had done their training. Both Naruto and Sakura agreed, having become familiar with the layout of the ground now.

"Well then, it seems like it's finally show-time, kid." Tsunade said. Naruto grinned back at her and said, "It's not gonna be like last time Grandma, you won't even be able to touch my forehead this time."

"We'll see about that," Tsunade shot back.

They reached the ground and Tsunade took off her overcoat. Naruto managed to somehow maintain his concentration on the upcoming fight, which was hard considering the two huge distractions in front of him. Sakura, on the other hand, was totally calm and focused, as though she had done this a hundred times before. Which wasn't really far from the truth.

As the Hokage said, "Start," both of them charged at her. "A frontal assault?" she thought with a snort; they were a decade away from challenging here face to face in TaiJutsu. But as Sakura took a punch from the Legendary Sucker, she exploded into a cloud of white smoke. "A substitution? Or was it Naruto's Shadow Clone?" thought Tsunade as the smoke cleared. She saw a log in front of her and realized it was a substitution. Naruto charged in with a mix of Hard Fist and Iron Monk and her eyes widened, seeing the moves of her once friend, come alive in front of her.

The Hokage wondered where her apprentice was, not having known where the substitution was done from. She was pushed backward, Naruto guiding her and keeping himself clear of her attacks. Tsunade, meanwhile, constantly searched for Sakura. She found the young Kunoichi near the edge of the ground, staring intently at the two of them. Just as she wondered why Sakura was not attacking, she succeeded in driving Naruto back towards the log which she had previously seen Sakura substitute for. Suddenly the log burst into another cloud of smoke and Sakura emerged, her fully muscle boosted punch catching Tsunade straight in the jaw. As the Hokage went flying into the trees, she saw that she was flying straight towards Sakura, still standing at the edge of the ground, looking at her triumphantly, before Sakura ended the transformation and turned into Naruto who pulled Tsunade's hand hard and flung her back into the middle of the ground where Naruto and Sakura were waiting. The Naruto at edge of the ground disappeared in plumes of white smoke and Tsunade rolled to her feet.

"So," she thought, "The Sakura at the edge of the forest was a shadow clone of Naruto's. The real Sakura was the one who I punched. She transformed into a log, giving me any ninja's first conception that she had substituted. As I searched for Sakura, Naruto's plan was to initially push me towards the edge where I would see Sakura (which was Naruto's shadow clone) and then guide me back to the log where the real Sakura would transform back to normal and clock me in the jaw. What a flawless and perfectly executed plan! Did they plan this from before or did they do it just now?"

But she couldn't think any further before Naruto and Sakura charged again, this time for earnest. As Sakura was hit by the Sannin one more time, this time much harder, she went flying backwards towards Naruto, who caught her arm, rotated her in midair and sent her flying back towards the Hokage at twice the speed. The Sannin felt as shocked as she looked. "To take the inertia of my attack and use it against me? This is the first time I have ever seen something like this!"

Even Sakura bawled out, "WHAT THE HELL, NARUTO!" as she flew straight into a Tsunade readying herself for a right thrust kick. But at the last moment, Sakura again exploded into a log. Tsunade did not pause to think but splintered the log into tiny pieces with her kick. "Well, it was a real log this time and…" She barely dodged as Naruto came up in front of her and his punch caught her in the shoulder instead of the jaw. She could not believe herself. "Naruto throws her against me, she yells at him, then substitutes herself knowing that this time I will break it apart, only to have it distract me while Naruto comes up behind the log and attacks me! And all of this without uttering a single word! Amazing!"

As she jabbed Naruto in the stomach, he exploded into a cloud. "What now!" Tsunade thought desperately. She heard a small rumbling in the ground and barely rolled aside as Naruto came up from the ground and his fist still caught her right leg, which cracked from the sheer amount of force he put into his punch. While she sent chakra into her leg to repair her bone, she suddenly felt that she was missing something. She realized what it was when it knocked her to the ground in front of her. It was Sakura, who had punched the Sannin straight in the small of the back. As the Sannin dodged their blows, she looked for a way out of this and saw a glimmer of hope. She transformed into a log, taking a page out of their book. "That will put them off," she thought. Sure enough, Sakura immediately turned and began to scan the area, but Naruto had other plans. He kicked Tsunade in the ribs hard enough to destabilize the transformation. She rolled away, shocked. She looked at him questioningly, and he spoke for the first time that day, "I can smell you."

"Alright, that's it for me," the Sannin said. "You have both done wonderfully in the teamwork test. I honestly could not keep up with the pace of your attacks and the perfect co-ordination that you kids showed. Well done." Naruto and Sakura smiled and high-fived each other. "Well, a short rest, and then round 2, Naruto," Tsunade said, while thinking, "If he's alone, he can't pull these tricks against me. But then he has his Shadow Clones. I better watch out."

Around 5 minutes later, both, the Sannin and the Genin were standing in front of each other. This time, Sakura was the one to call it. "Begin!"

Naruto and Tsunade both rushed towards each other, Tsunade's hands glowing with the electricity of the Ranshinsho. As she touched Naruto, his hands flailed and she frowned, not expecting him to fall for her jutsu so easily. But suddenly, his hands swung out in twin punches and he boxed her ears, quite literally. The Sannin was unnerved now. She started to ask him, but Naruto said, "I asked Sakura to teach me the counter to the Ranshinsho." She nodded at his intelligence and stopped the flow of chakra into her hands to avoid wasting any more chakra. Naruto grinned at her and started his form of Iron Monk style.

The Sannin dodged his attacks, having seen them before, but he then started randomly mixing in the Snake Fist style as well. She hopped back two steps, signing. "Earth Style: Stone Claws Jutsu!" Seven sturdy claws of stone broke out of the earth to trap Naruto, who quickly signed, "Lightning Style: Stone Cracker Jutsu!" The talons broke into several pieces. As she looked at him, he said, "Kakashi Sensei taught it to me last week." She nodded before signing again. "Wind Style: Wind Screen!" The master medic sent out a huge blast of compressed air chakra towards Naruto who substituted himself for another log of wood. He appeared to the right of Tsunade and rushed in, preparing a Rasengan in his right hand.

"Thank God that I can finally do it without a clone," he told himself.

During his trip with Jiraiya, Naruto had finally learned to mold his chakra into the Rasengan without using a clone. The solution had been simple. As the Pervy Sage had suggested, Naruto's chakra flowed counter-clockwise, while he had molded his chakra clockwise. The old Sage had said, "_If you learn to mold your chakra in the direction opposite of what you do now, your chakra will not destabilize because it will not have any opposing force to hold it back."_ So it had taken a few days, but Naruto had managed to finally create a one - handed Rasengan on his own.

Now, Naruto used that attack, keeping it behind his back the entire time. The female Sannin looked at his run, determining that he probably had some shuriken or kunai in his hands, not knowing about his new ability. As he reached closer, she prepared herself for whatever he might throw at her. Her eyes widened in shock as she saw the brightly shining ball of chakra thrust between her arms straight into her solar plexus. "RASENGAN!" roared Naruto, as the ball shredded her skin and flesh and sent her flying backwards.

Luckily, Lady Tsunade was not a legendary ninja for nothing. She had already sent her chakra to block her stomach from most of the attack. But she remembered that Kabuto had done the same, and it had still affected him. She had only one option at the moment, and although she hated herself for doing it, she had no choice.

She got up unsteadily, put her hands together and gathered her chakra. Sakura frowned and then realized what she was doing. She gasped.

Tsunade began to glow in a reddish aura. She intoned, "Reserve Seal Release! Ninja Arts: Mitotic Regeneration!" Naruto also stared at her as his Rasengan's damage was repaired in an instant. Tsunade charged at him, fully regenerated, but he was already planning his next move. As she got closer to the point of no return, he spawned a single Shadow Clone without hand signs. The Sannin stopped and stared at him, eyes wide. The Shadow Clone Jutsu was an A-rank Jutsu. Although he had been using it for quite some time, she didn't have any idea that he would be able to do it without hand signs.

Then Naruto smirked at her, his Shadow Clone having bought him the distraction he needed. He quickly signed and shouted, "Wind Style: Cyclone Spikes Jutsu!" 15 spikes of sharpened air chakra flew towards Tsunade and skewered her. Although she managed to dodge eight of them, three of them fully hit her and blasted back through her body, and the rest nicked her body in the arms and legs. But she healed even as she charged towards him and his Shadow Clone sacrificed itself for him, as her muscle boosted punch almost went through the body of the clone.

As he hopped back, he went to sign again but she flung a kunai at him and broke his concentration. She leaped ahead for a high kick. High kicks were considered dangerous because if the opponent got around them, the user was particularly susceptible to being attacked from the back. But the female Sannin didn't bother, knowing that she would regenerate and desperate to get an advantage over Naruto. But Naruto simply took the kick on his shoulder and smirked as the large bruise on his shoulder under his jacket began to heal immediately.

She pressed the attack but was unable to land any blows at him while he constantly jabbed her, and punched her, causing her to sustain the Mitotic Regeneration for more than half an hour. As she felt her chakra begin to ebb away, she paused. Naruto stopped, thinking that this was some ploy but she put her hands together and ended the regeneration jutsu. He stared at her until she called him and Sakura over. They jogged over and she said, panting slightly, "I have never seen such level of teamwork and individual skill before. You guys pass the test."

Naruto grumbled, "Not fair Grandma Tsunade! I was hardly getting started!"

Tsunade blanched.

Author's Note: Well, there's another chapter for you guys. This one's short but I think the quality trumps the quantity. Happy Reading!


	7. Chapter 1: Time To Report

**Chapter 7: Time to Report: Tsunade's Amazement**

As Naruto and Sakura reached back to the village with Lady Tsunade, they were asked for identification again. Tsunade gave them her ID and they nodded. They looked at the other two, but Tsunade said, "I'll vouch for them, because I just fought them and I know for sure that they are the real deal." Raido and Genma gaped at her in amazement, as she passed them, smirking slightly, before remembering that she had lost. That sobered her up pretty quick.

As they reached the office, Tsunade took out their reports and told them, "I am extremely impressed with your skills, both individual and as a team. I am putting you back on regular rotation duty from Monday. Now, I'm going to make some changes in your report. Naruto, I know everything about Sakura, her jutsus, her strength and her weapon's skills. But I have never seen you using those jutsus before. I will need to make note of them in your records."

Naruto looked at her honestly and said, "Grandma Tsunade, I would rather like it if you could keep the NinJutsu which I used, and the Iron Monk style away from my record. At least until I feel confident enough to share how I acquired them."

Tsunade frowned and he added hastily, "I have already told the Pervy Sage to keep mum about it, so you won't get anything out of him." She said, "But what is it that you do not wish to talk about yet?" Naruto smiled sheepishly and said, "I don't want to get people's hopes up before I become a Chunin or a Jonin." She nodded, suddenly understanding that he wanted to keep the secret because he was still a Genin by rank. However, that shouldn't have stopped him from telling her. "He's hiding something large," Tsunade thought, but didn't press the matter. Sakura was looking quizzically at Naruto as though she couldn't understand something about him. He fidgeted uncomfortably under their stares.

Finally, Tsunade decided, "I will make a record of your TaiJutsu improvements, except for the Iron Monk style. And tell me which jutsus you learnt from Kakashi, I can put them in the reports as well, can't I?" Naruto nodded, and Sakura said, "I also learnt a few new jutsus, Milady. I think you can add them to my reports too." The Sannin agreed, "I need to talk to you privately, Naruto. So I'll get Sakura's report done first." He looked at her, wondering what she wanted to talk about. Sakura stepped forward. The Hokage opened Sakura's report and looked up at her expectantly. Sakura hesitated for a second and then started speaking, "I learned mostly lightning style and water style jutsus. Kakashi sensei knew that I have an affinity for lightning, because of my mastery of the Ranshinsho." Tsunade smiled slightly, while Sakura continued, "Also, I'm basically an Earth chakra user. So water chakra was easier for me to learn as well. But I have absolutely no chance in using wind or fire chakra." The Sannin looked at her and said, "Well, everyone has their own affinities. For you to have three types of chakra affinities is a huge accomplishment. You will easily be able to make it to Jonin."

Sakura blushed slightly from the praise and continued, "I learnt the following Water Style jutsus from sensei. The Water Style: Vortex Jutsu, Giant Vortex Jutsu, Water Wall and the Water Dragon Jutsu." She again blushed and looked at her feet as Tsunade openly gaped at her. Finally, Tsunade managed to open her mouth and said weakly, "You learnt the Water Dragon Jutsu in one week?"

Sakura nodded. She continued, "I also learnt the following Lightning Style jutsus from Kakashi sensei. The Lightning Style: Lightning Trident, the Stone Cracker Jutsu, the Spark Darts Jutsu and the Lightning Lance Spears Jutsu." The younger medic looked at her teacher, mollified by the look on Tsunade's face. The only, angry, thought in the Sannin's head was, 'What the hell is Kakashi playing at?'

Sakura added, "Oh! I forgot. I also mastered the Earth Style: Mud Clone Jutsu."

'Sheesh!' Tsunade thought. 'This is too much!' But she didn't show it anymore and looked at Sakura with a healthy amount of respect and pride. She said, "I am so stunned right now that I can't think of anything. How did you master so many jutsus in one week?" Sakura scratched her head sheepishly, saying, "Well, I wouldn't say master. Kakashi sensei has placed all my Lightning Release Jutsus at C-Rank or B-Rank. He has told me that I will need to improve the techniques a lot more, before I can use them at which rank they really are." She looked slightly uncomfortable saying it, but Tsunade suddenly understood.

This week had not been devoted to training in the arts they had developed. It was to teach them a flurry of new techniques so that they could improve the techniques on the go, during missions or other normal training. She heaved a sigh of relief and said, "And what about the Water Style Jutsus? Are they at a similar level?" Sakura nodded, saying, "Of all the Water Style Jutsus, I can only use the Vortex Jutsu at its intended rank. My other Jutsus are again at C-Rank or B-Rank. My Water Dragon is absolutely miniscule right now, even if it is powerful." She looked at Naruto as she said that and he winced. Tsunade looked at him questioningly and Naruto and he explained, "I told her to try it on me. It broke my back with its force. If it was at its full level, I probably would have been dead." Tsunade glared at him, "What the hell were you thinking, baka? How could you do something so stupid?" He looked back at her, saying, "You know how fast I regenerate. Also Sakura was there to immediately heal my wound. So it didn't really matter."

"It matters to me, you stupid knucklehead! And if you ever try something like this again, I'll give orders to let you die! Is that understood?" He blanched at her expression and nodded fervently. The Sannin calmed down a little, and looked back at Sakura. "How could you even carry out such a risky plan, Sakura? Did you not know that the Water Dragon Jutsu is an A-Rank Jutsu, bordering on S-Rank, depending on the strength of the user?" Sakura looked down again, unable to say anything.

Tsunade forced herself to calm down completely, before continuing, "Be that as it may, what's done is done. I can only **request **you not to do it again. Is that clear?" Both of the students nodded mutely, before Tsunade said, "I am putting your new jutsus at C-Rank, Sakura, because I have not seen them myself. As you improve under my watch, I will update the records again." Sakura said, "Yes Milady." Tsunade looked at her, questioning her expression. Sakura said with a small blush, "I also learnt the Heavenly Fingers GenJutsu from Kakashi sensei."

Tsunade again gaped at Sakura. She could not believe her ears. The Heavenly Fingers Jutsu was an A-Rank GenJutsu which affected the senses of smell, touch and hearing all at once. To learn it in a week was unheard of. She grinned lecherously, remembering its effects, saying, "I will need to see it for myself later, Sakura. I can't be sure whether you have got it correctly." Sakura looked at her in confusion, saying, "But how will you…." And then she realized why Tsunade was grinning. She blushed more and murmured her assent. Tsunade said, "Okay now, is there anything else?" Sakura shook her head, and the Sannin said, "Then you may leave now." Sakura took her leave, looking at Naruto once before she left, who gave her a big thumbs up, and a smile. She smiled back at him encouragingly as she left.

Tsunade looked at Naruto with a grin and said, "I know you do not want to discuss the secret of the Iron Monk style and some of your techniques right now. But as the Hokage, it is my duty to know the powers and abilities of all the shinobi in the village. I have to know about it, even if I have to swear a Blood Oath not to share it with anyone." Naruto looked at her carefully, before nodding. She made a Blood Oath immediately, and he began to tell her about his trip….

The Hokage looked up at Naruto in astonishment, before hiding the look behind feigned neutrality. Her back slumped. She had to hand it to him; the boy was a prodigy. If he had not wasted his time playing tricks when he was younger, he would definitely be a Jonin by now, and Hokage in a few years' time. As it stood now, he was stronger than anyone else in the Hidden Leaf, and probably the other villages too. And that was without having the Kyuubi sealed within him.

Naruto said, "So that's all there is to it. Do you understand now, why the Pervy Sage and I don't want anyone to know yet?" She nodded gravely, before saying, "Don't worry, I'll make sure to keep it safe. Not that I have a choice now, with my Blood Oath and all." Naruto said, "Can I go now?" The Sannin looked at him, her expression clearing and said, "Not yet. You still have to give me the rest of your records." He remembered that they were here primarily to update their records. "Oh yeah," he said.

"I learnt the same Lightning jutsus that Sakura learnt," he said, to make it easier rather than naming all of them again. She nodded, creating the record immediately. He continued, "I also learnt these Wind Style Jutsus from Kakashi sensei. They are, the Wind Screen Jutsu, Giant Wind Gale, Impervious Wind Defense Jutsu, Four Winds Scattering Jutsu and the Air Vacuum Jutsu. I can use all of them at their intended rank."

The Hokage looked at him, stunned. Those were 3 A-Rank Jutsus, one S-Rank Jutsu and one B-Rank Jutsu. She asked, "You can use the Impervious Wind Defense at S-Rank? How?" He nodded, saying, "I asked Kakashi sensei and he said I was proficient enough. And I used Shadow Clones to decrease the time and increase the amount of training I could do." The female Sannin updated the record and said, "Go up to the roof and wait for me." He looked at her, confused, but went up nevertheless. Tsunade fell back into her chair, suddenly feeling every one of her…. forty years. Her eyebrows twitched at the personal deception, and she got back up in a hurry, wanting to see the technique for herself.

As she reached up on the roof, Tsunade activated a minor GenJutsu which could allow her to see chakra outside the body in different colors. She said, "I want to see the Impervious Wind Defense, Naruto." He nodded, focusing his chakra for the jutsu.

"Tori, Ushi, Hitsuji, Uma, Mi, Ne, I, Saru, I, Tatsu, Hitsuji, Ne, Tora, Inu, Mi, Tatsu! Wind Style: Impervious Wind Defense!" Naruto intoned. The watchful eyes of Tsunade, coupled with the GenJutsu, just made out the outline of chakra rotating outside his body in an extremely fast clockwise direction. She marveled at the speed that it was going at. The Sannin decided to test the density and speed as she threw a kunai at Naruto, who didn't even move. The kunai not only bounced back from the shield Naruto had created, but it also flung itself back at Tsunade with twice the speed she had thrown it at.

The Hokage barely dodged her own weapon, which still nicked her in the left shoulder as it flew past, landing seven buildings away from their building. "Holy shit…" Tsunade thought as she saw the speed of the steel missile. "That is one amazing Jutsu. I never even imagined that Kakashi would know it." She thought, deciding to ask Kakashi how and where he had learnt it. "Naruto, you can stop the jutsu now," she said. Naruto relaxed, letting his chakra stop its circular motion.

"Are we done, Grandma Tsunade?" he asked. She nodded, and said, "You may go, Naruto. But if you happen to find Kakashi, tell him that I sent for him." Naruto nodded his understanding, and took off. Tsunade went back to the office. Just then, she saw Gai walking in towards Ninja Ops and wondered when his team had returned, and where the rest of them were.

Gai knocked and she said, "Enter." Gai came in, and seeing the expression on his face, Tsunade got worried. "What is it, Gai?" Gai looked at her, with a dark expression in his eyes. She could make out that he had been crying recently. He said, "The transformation scrolls were not the only scrolls the robbers had taken. They had taken a number of TaiJutsu scrolls as well. We eliminated them, of course, but Lee took a number of hits from a person who was using the Resonating Palms technique."

Tsunade's eyes shot up in anger and shock, as she roared, "WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?" He flinched, but met her gaze and nodded. The Sannin forced her anger down, remembering unpleasantly that it was this very form of TaiJutsu that took away her beloved brother. "We captured some of them alive, Milady. The one who used the Resonating Palms is with them. They are at the Interrogation Ops," Gai said. Tsunade looked up with steely eyes and said, "Lead the way."

Gai shook his head, "I'm here for another reason, Milady. **Lee** was fighting the guy who used the Resonating Palms. He is intensive care right now."

Suddenly, Tsunade understood why tears had been forming around Gai's eyes. He had witnessed the absolute destruction of his student in front of him. She got up with a speed that even left him blinking, and was gone before he knew it. They reached the hospital at a speed which would have left any shinobi stunned. As they entered Intensive Care, Tsunade saw Shizune making chakra cuts on Lee's body to separate pieces of his skin where they had been corroded.

She put on a mask and entered the room. "Why was I not informed of this operation, Shizune?" She asked dangerously. Shizune paled underneath her mask and hurriedly replied, stammering, "I'm sorry, Milady. I thought…. I thought that you would not be able to con…concentrate, given what has happened over the years."

Tsunade leant over, checking the wounds. She then began using two carefully designed chakra scalpels to remove all the skin over the corroded areas of Lee's body. Then she initiated her Mitotic Regeneration Jutsu and poured her chakra into Lee's body. The fine-tuned jutsu was passed from her body to Lee's body and his internal organs, which were mashed up, starting repairing themselves. The master medic's body began to slump as the jutsu wore her down, but Shizune put her hands on her mentor's shoulders, pouring her own chakra into the female Sannin.

The operation took several hours, but they were able to completely regenerate Lee's body to an almost pristine state. Both the medics slumped into chairs as they took food pills to regain some of their chakra. Gai walked up to them carefully, with Neji and Tenten trailing behind him. Tsunade looked up at him and smiled slightly. He burst into tears, falling at the Hokage's feet, who brought him back up and hugged him. Neji and Tenten looked relieved and even Tenten cried slowly but happily. Neji, who had become more open in the years after being defeated by Naruto, put his arm around Tenten's shoulders and comforted her.

"How is he now, Milady?" Neji asked. She looks at him and said, "We were able to restore him completely. We may also have improved his body a little, given the fact that we had to burn away the little bit of fat that he had underneath his skin. But he will need a month of therapy to get back in shape. After that, we will add him back into rotation."

"Can… can I see him, Lady Hokage?" Gai asked. She nodded, saying, "But he won't be talking now. We have given him a strong anesthetic. He won't wake up until tomorrow." Gai nodded and went in the room. A moment later the nurse came rushing out, saying, "Milady, please come in right away!" Tsunade rushed back in to see Lee with his eyes open, smiling at Gai sensei. She calmed down, but thought, "How did he wake up so quickly?"

Lee spoke, "I am sorry, Gai sensei. I was weak and caused everyone so much pain. I promise that I will do better next time." Tears silently came streaming down Gai's cheeks as he said, "I will train you so well that you will never need the hospital again, Lee!" He lightly embraced Lee and then went back out, allowing Neji and Tenten to come in. They took one look at him and Tenten started crying again. Lee clasped Neji's hand and said, "I will get well soon and then we shall spar again, Neji!" Neji smiled in spite of himself, and said, "I look forward to it, my friend."


	8. Chapter 8: Naruto's Predicament

**Chapter 8: Naruto's Predicament**

Naruto sighed in contentment as he slurped down his ramen. He and Iruka sensei had come to Ichiraku's, to celebrate Naruto's mastery of the longsword and the staff blade. As they ate their ramen, Naruto suddenly asked, "Hey, sensei? Can you tell me how the Jonin exams work?" Iruka wondered what had gotten into him suddenly, but decided to tell him. He said, "The Jonin Trials are quite different from the Chunin exams. They are each held within their own village, with the village elders and the Jonin council debating on who should be promoted or not."

"There are 5 tests to be taken, each based on the Five Pillars of the Ninja Arts, namely, TaiJutsu, GenJutsu, NinJutsu, KenJutsu and Stealth and Tracking skills. KenJutsu, being weapons skills of course," he added, looking at the dense expression on the knucklehead's face. "Ah, alright then," Naruto's expression cleared, and Iruka continued, "The basic rules of the five tests are set as per the Council of Shadows, namely the Kages of the Five Great Nations."

"But each proctor who takes the exam can set some rules of his or her own, which test the exam in a different manner. For example, the Jonin exams which I passed had two different proctors for each exam. Kakashi and Might Gai were the proctors for the stealth and tracking skills test. Kakashi had a basic test of hide and seek. The objective of his test was to find all of his clones and him before the time limit and then to escape him while he tracked us and our clones."

Naruto nodded, and Iruka continued, "Gai, however, had a different approach. He created an obstacle course to run through. You had to complete a certain numbers of mini tests in the course to complete the test. So even though the basics are set by the Council, the proctors have a great amount of leeway."

"And you made Jonin this time, right?" Naruto asked. Iruka nodded, smiling proudly at his accomplishment. He said, "This time was easier for me, because I had been practicing more GenJutsu and weapons, which most shinobi do not bother with at all." Naruto agreed with him; knowing only too well how his training had been in the last three years.

As they left Ichiraku's, Naruto said, "Can you give me some tips regarding GenJutsu some time, sensei? I'm learning from Shizune nee-san but I would be glad to have another teacher, now that my weapons skills are mostly polished."

Iruka smiled at the slight exaggeration, and said, "Sure, I'll do whatever I can to help."

"Thanks a lot, sensei!" Naruto shouted as he ran off into the night. Iruka slowly continued towards his house, finally allowing himself to show his wounds from the intense weapon fight with Naruto. As he reached home, he took out some ointment and began rubbing it over his limbs. "Damn, Naruto is strong now. He gave me such a drubbing this time that my bruises won't heal for days. He even surpassed me a long time ago. If I could, I would make him the Hokage as soon as he got as mature as he should be."

Naruto entered his barracks to find the door in pieces. He looked at his apartment, totally in ruins, with scorches all over the walls and his gadgets in ruins. He looked at the mess and ran quickly to his bedroom. He lifted the bed up and looked under the secret compartment he had built into the bed. He heaved a sigh of relief. Nothing important to him had been touched; obviously, whoever had done this had thought that he felt the gadgets were important to him. He couldn't care less about them. It could have been a ninja, using a Fire Jutsu, or simply some drunk civilians with torches.

But one thing was certain; he could no longer stay here.

He called up the Hokage and Kakashi in a conference call. They both picked up immediately and the Hokage yelled, "What is it, knucklehead?" while Kakashi asked more normally, "Did you need something, Naruto?" As they realized that it was a conference call, Tsunade calmed down and Kakashi looked worried. Naruto said simply, "They destroyed my apartment in the barracks."

"What?" both of them said at the same time. He repeated the statement and they realized the gravity of the situation. Tsunade sighed, and Kakashi also let his disappointment show by swearing once. "What will you do now, Naruto?" He asked. "Do you want to bunk with me for a couple of days?"

"Thanks, Kakashi sensei. I guess I could crash on your couch for the night while I decide what to do next. Thankfully, nothing important to me has been destroyed, so that's a relief." Tsunade's heart went out to the boy but he was still not legally of age, and so she again hid what belonged to him. She told him that she would see if she could do anything for him, and then said, "Good you called in a conference. Kakashi, I've been wanting to talk to you. Meet me at the office tomorrow afternoon." She closed the call on her side. Kakashi and Naruto spoke for a couple of minutes and then Kakashi told him to come over.

Naruto took all of his gear, his important possessions, the scrolls the Pervy Sage had given him, and took off. He reached Kakashi's house, which was in a modestly decent part of town. He knocked and Kakashi opened the door. He was unmasked; Naruto saw that his face was lean and handsome. He realized why Ayame had been love struck that day when they were trying to see his face, although it didn't have any effect on him. He thanked Kakashi for letting him stay.

Next morning, Kakashi woke up to the smell and sound of frying bacon. He wondered what was going on, before remembering that Naruto was staying with him. He looked at the couch and couldn't believe that it had been slept in. "When did Naruto get so tidy?" he thought, remembering the state of Naruto's apartment when he had first visited it with the Third Hokage.

He washed his face and came to the dining room to see breakfast served and Naruto standing in his full uniform, ready to hit the street. "What's up, Naruto?" he asked, confused. Naruto looked at him sheepishly and said, "It's my way of saying thank you, sensei," Kakashi sat down and indicated that Naruto should sit as well.

They both had breakfast and Kakashi's eye widened at the deliciousness of the bacon. He complimented Naruto, asking him, "Where did you learn to cook so well, Naruto?" Naruto grinned slightly, "The Pervy Sage was quite demanding. I had to earn my lessons, by cooking for him. And he flat out refused to eat ramen. He said that I had survived on ramen long enough and that it was time to start eating healthy." Kakashi looked at Naruto, respect in his uncovered eye. "So, what are you going to do now, Naruto? Are you comfortable staying here, or do you want to find another place?"

Naruto looked at his teacher in mild confusion and said, "I don't really know. I think it would be better to find another room rather than bother you every day." Kakashi nodded, saying, "I wouldn't mind if you stayed, as long as you cooked wonderful stuff every day." His eye twinkled and Naruto laughed. Then he said seriously, "I think I'll go around looking for a place to stay today." Kakashi agreed, and said, "I'll call up a few friends and ask if they have any older apartments that they don't use anymore."

"Thanks, sensei," Naruto smiled at him.

"Anytime, Naruto," Kakashi gave him his eye smile.

Naruto looked up at the condos and decided to take a look. He had told Teuchi about his problem, and the old man had directed Naruto towards the building where he himself stayed. But the locality was a little expensive and Naruto wasn't sure he wanted to spend so much money at the time. He thought, "I'll take a look and if I like it a lot, I might rent it rather than buying it full out."

He met the manager, who showed him the house. It was a decent sized house, with a big living room, a modular kitchen and a master bedroom along with a smaller bedroom and a separate bathroom. Naruto shook his head, saying, "It's way too big for me alone." The manager agreed, realizing that he would not be able to take care of the house on his own, and so he let the matter rest.

Naruto looked up various addresses that Kakashi had given him over a message, but all of them were again too big, made for couples or even families. He thought of asking his friends if anyone had an extra room which he could rent out. He ran into Shikamaru as he was on his way into the market district. Shikamaru said, "I am staying in a one room flat, anything bigger than that will be too troublesome. So I can't help you, Naruto. But I think Kiba and Shino have bigger apartments. Maybe you could try there?" Naruto thanked him and Shikamaru gave him the addresses.

Naruto ran off to Kiba's house. He knocked and Kiba welcomed him in. As Naruto told him what had happened, he sympathized with his friend but said, "Unfortunately, my other room is used by Akamaru as his kennel, so I can't possibly give it to rent. I'm sorry Naruto." Naruto understood and Kiba apologized again for not being able to help. "It's alright, Kiba. I'll see some other place. Don't worry about it," Naruto said. He left and went to Shino's house. But the result was about the same. Shino had kept his other room as a hive for his insects. Naruto paled a little and almost ran out of the house.

As he sat at Ichiraku's again for lunch, Ino popped in and said, "Hey old man, can I have a diet ramen?" Then she noticed Naruto sitting at a corner, staring at his ramen with a melancholy expression, and quietly asked Teuchi what was up. Teuchi answered, with a sympathetic look on his face, "Naruto's apartment in the barracks was razed by someone. He's looking for a place to stay but hasn't found anything small enough for him." Ino looked at Naruto and then joined him at the table. Naruto looked up and saw her looking at him intently. "Hey, Ino, what is a girl like you doing at a ramen shop?"

He asked, looking at her with a fake smile. She saw through his façade; she wasn't an interrogation specialist for nothing, after all. Teuchi answered, as he put the ramen down on the table, "Ino-san loves our new diet ramen. She's here almost as much as you now."

"I see," Naruto replied, taking a bite of noodles from his ramen. Ino looked at him, saying, "I can help you out, Naruto." He choked, and quickly drank a glass of water. "What do you mean, Ino? What help?" he tried to keep up his mask of normalcy, but it faltered in front of her. "What's wrong with me?" he thought.

"I'm an interrogator ninja, Naruto. I can tell when someone is lying, or faking their expressions," Ino said, taking a small bite of noodles as well. Naruto's mask slipped and she saw the worried expression on his face. He asked her, "What did you mean by saying you can help me?" Ino's looked at him and said, "I meant that I own an apartment now, which has two bedrooms. And I have wanted to rent the other bedroom out for quite a while now."

Naruto's face brightened as he considered that. "Ino is a girl, which means that her apartment must be in a better area of the city, and considerably cleaner that any of my male friends' apartments." But then his face fell, thinking, "There is also the fact that she is a **girl**, and that moving into her house could raise suspicions and awkward questions, even if I am paying rent. Also, I am not as close to Ino as I am with Shikamaru, or Sakura, for that matter."

He said, "Can you come with me?"

She nodded.

**Author's Note: **Hey guys, I'm sorry that this chapter is so short, but I'm actually busy getting my admissions done for my degree in Computer Engineering, so I don't have a lot of time. I hope you guys understand where I'm coming from, and I assure you that I'll have some really awesome stuff coming up, so you guys just need to hold on a little bit. Hopefully my admissions will be done in a couple of days, so I'll have some more time then. Happy Reading!


	9. Chapter 9: Naruto's Predicament (Contd)

**Chapter 9: Naruto's Predicament (Contd.)**

Naruto and Ino looked out to the village, sitting atop the stone head of the Fourth Hokage. Ino had to admit, the view was spectacular. She had never been here before. She looked back at Naruto, who was lying down, with his eyes open. He looked so calm and relaxed that she couldn't believe that a guy like this had such a rough past.

Naruto spoke, "I come here whenever I'm feeling low or sad. The wind on my skin, and ruffling through my hair allows me to forget my worries, if only for a little while. That is why I wanted you to come here. I wanted to ask you something."

Ino said, "Sure, fire away."

Naruto sat up and looked at her. "Why are you doing this?" he asked her. She looked at him in surprise. "What do you mean?" she asked genuinely. He elaborated, "Why are you helping me, all of a sudden?" She looked hurt and he quickly amended, "Not that I'm against it, Ino. But I've never really been helped like this before and it's in my nature to get suspicious at such actions. I was even suspicious when Iruka sensei first offered to teach me privately after the normal classes had got over. But I learnt to trust him later. So I just want to know the reason, that's all."

She realized his feelings and looked at her feet. Then she spoke, "I've seen the cruel stuff that has been done to you. I never spoke against it because nobody else had ever defended you either. I always used to think about Sasuke and wonder why you liked to challenge him so much. But I was forced to stay away from you by my parents and so, I didn't help you in the way I should have."

She frowned, continuing, "As time passed by, you became a stronger ninja. You defeating Neji in the Chunin exams made me realize that you were not the stupid boy in the class as everyone thought you were. After that, I started to notice your abilities as well. Although I used to always pretend that I was after Sasuke, I also wanted to observe you." He looked at her in incredulous amazement and she nodded sadly.

"I wanted you to have more friends. I wanted you to have a normal life like the others. The only thing I did not understand at the time, was why you were treated that way. But after seeing the Kyuubi erupt from inside you that day, I suddenly understood. I understood why the citizens always looked at you with hatred. I understood why our parents tried to keep us away from you. But you have a magnetic personality, Naruto. Somehow, no matter what people try, they will be attracted towards you. It was the same thing that happened to me."

"I had decided to be your friend, Naruto. But just then, Sasuke left the village and you and Sakura were heartbroken. I visited you once, but you were unconscious. And then soon after that, you left the village for training with Master Jiraiya. I didn't think you would be gone so long. But as time passed, I realized that I was missing you. Missing a friend. Missing a person who had changed me, even if indirectly."

Naruto felt tears coming to his eyes and quickly wiped them away. He hadn't noticed this part of Ino ever before. He had always thought that she wanted to hang around with Sasuke, so he had never given her any notice before. But as he realized it, he could remember flashes of her smiling at him and glancing at him occasionally. He looked at her happily and said, "Thank you Ino. Thank you for being such a good friend."

She shook her head, tears streaming down her cheeks now, saying, "If I were half the friend that you have been to me, you wouldn't have to say that." Naruto put his hand on her shoulder and she looked up into his confident face. He said, "I would never begrudge you by the actions caused by other people. I feel proud of being the Jinchuuriki of the Nine Tailed Fox. It makes me feel that I have something that made me worthy to be of the Fourth's attention. So please stop crying, Ino."

Ino nodded, wiping her cheeks and looking back towards him, hiccupping slightly, "So are you going to rent that room, then? You never answered me." He looked up, remembering why he had asked her to come up here. He said, "I dunno, Ino. People might get the wrong interpretation if I move into your house with you." Ino looked at him, surprised and slightly blushing. She hadn't expected him to be the shy type. She said, "No one will say anything after the number of houses that you have approached today. And if anyone says anything, we'll shut their mouths together. Alright?" she said confidently.

He blinked and then nodded. "Okay, then. I guess this could work. But I'll rent it only until I get a place of my own." She agreed, respecting his decision. "Let's go, then. My home is quite far away from here." They both stood up and took one last deep breath, before running down the stairs together, smiling.

Naruto looked up at the building, with amazement. He had been past this building almost every day of his life as he went to Ichiraku's, but had never stopped to look at it thoroughly. Ino smiled slightly at his expression and led him in. The receptionist looked up and smiled, "Good afternoon Ino-san! You don't usually come back home in the afternoon. Is there any….." she froze as she saw Naruto walk up behind Ino. Her tone changed to that of utmost fright as she said, "What do you want?! Please leave the building immediately!"

Ino glared at her, "Is that how you treat my guests, Kurumi-san? I am very disappointed in you!" Kurumi stared at Ino as if she were mad and began, "Ino! That boy is…."

"My friend." Ino said. Kurumi stopped in mid-sentence as though she had been slapped. "He is my friend. Also, he is the boy who saved the entire village three years ago, during the attack from the Sound village. He is Naruto Uzumaki." Ino continued. Naruto felt as though a light balloon had inflated inside him. Kurumi continued, her voice hinting urgently towards Ino, "But he is the demon fox!"

Ino stepped up towards Kurumi till she was almost nose to nose with the woman. She said, "He is not the demon fox. He is a boy who has had to suffer terrible hardships because of the choice of the Fourth Hokage, who sealed the beast inside him. Naruto is as ordinary a boy as you are an ordinary woman. So if you ever utter those words again, I shall not mourn at your funeral. You have been warned." Ino stared coldly at Kurumi, who gulped once, then calmed down slightly. She said, "I am sorry Ino-san. I forgot myself when I saw him approach. Please forgive me." Ino replied coldly, "I am not the one who needs the apology."

Kurumi looked at Naruto, still a hint of fear in her eye, and said, "Please forgive me, Uzumaki-san. I shouldn't have said such a thing about you. I am terribly sorry." Naruto walked up towards her and held out his hand, without saying a word. After a moment of consideration, and a glare from Ino, Kurumi took his hand. He shook it and said jovially, "Call me Naruto. And you do not need to apologize. I am quite familiar with people treating me this way. It has greatly increased my patience with them. I just hope that you won't refer to me as the demon fox again, because that annoyance is already sealed within me. I am just an ordinary kid with an extraordinary dream of being Hokage."

The receptionist looked at him with a hint of amazement. She had never heard the boy's voice personally before, and never thought that he would be so well mannered. Mildly embarrassed, she nodded, and apologized again. He smiled at her and she warmed up to him immediately. As the two of them entered the lift, she blushed slightly, thinking, "He's quite tall and handsome too!"

The two of them got off at the 8th floor. Naruto followed Ino into an apartment on their right hand side. As they entered, Naruto caught a whiff of some sweet smell, which was very enticing. He looks at her questioningly, and she said, "It's a plant which I'm very fond of. The Alyssum flowers are extremely easy to grow and even reseed themselves automatically, giving huge clusters of flowers at a time, which smell very sweet."

Naruto nodded, taking in some more of the sweet aroma before looking around him. The living room was well kept, spacious and most importantly, not in pink. Naruto heaved a sigh of relief at that. Ino asked, "What happened?" mistaking his sigh for disappointment. He said, "I was so sure that everything would be pink." Ino chuckled and then chided him in mock anger, "Don't you think I would be wearing pink if that was the case? I have different tastes in colors."

He also smiled, moving in a little. He saw a neatly kept kitchen towards the right of the room, next to which was a room with a lock on it. He presumed that was the spare room. He looked at her and she nodded nervously, saying, "You may wanna clean it up a bit, I haven't checked it in quite a while." He said, "Not a problem. I have a jutsu for that." She looked surprised at that. He said, "I never took care of my barracks, because they were not my home. They were just a place to stay, while I earned money to buy my own place. But this is different. I always wanted a place of my own, which I could keep clean and come back to happily. So I will take care of this place as though it were my own."

Ino fished through a drawer at the table on the right corner in the living room, and found the key. She opened the room and hopped back as a cloud of dust flew up in front of her. Coughing lightly, she looked at him apologetically. He stepped into the room as the dust settled, opened the huge window and signed quickly, intoning, "Wind Style: Giant Sweep-through Jutsu!"

The dust was all swept up and at his direction, flew out of the window and he ran towards the window. As the dust started to fall downwards, he signed again, saying, "Wind Style: Four Winds Scattering!" He purposely kept the speed and density of the winds higher and the power less, so that the dust scattered evenly across the sky and slowly vanished from view. Naruto turned to see the room in a pristine state, and Ino with a stunned look on her face. He scratched his head, embarrassed. Ino said, "You have got to teach me that!"

"What?" Naruto asked, confused.

"I have to clean my house by hand, every time I go out on long missions. If I could do this, that would save a heck of a lot of time for me," Ino explained. Naruto nodded his understanding and went back into the living room, picked up his bag, and brought it in. Ino said, "If you want to take a shower, the bathroom is on the other side. My bedroom is off the landing opposite of the main bathroom. I'm gonna change into something comfortable now; you also get settled in." she said, and left the room, leaving Naruto in to check out the room fully.

He looked at everything carefully, making sure nothing was fragile. The bed was comfortably springy, but not to the point where one would simply sink into it. He liked that. Naruto took his stuff out of his bag and started arranging it. He put his clothes and uniforms into the wardrobe, and his spare headband on the dresser next to it. Then he took out his important possessions from the bottom of the bag and put them in drawer of the wardrobe, before putting a seal on the drawer, so that it would only open on his touch.

"I should take a shower; all this running around today has made me grimy," he thought as he took his towel, and headed towards the main bathroom.

As he headed towards the bathroom, Naruto bumped into Ino as she was coming out of her bedroom. He goggled at her; Ino was dressed in a small beige camisole top and dark blue boy shorts. "Holy shit!" he thought as she muttered a quick apology and sauntered off into the living room. Naruto almost ran into the bathroom.

Ino sat in the living room, blushing at how Naruto had stared at her right now. She had totally forgotten about him while she was changing. She wondered whether to go back and change into something less revealing, but decided that it would be too 'troublesome'. Meanwhile, Naruto couldn't stop the image of Ino from flashing in his head all the time. 'Damn! When did Ino get so hot?' he thought.

As Naruto stepped back into the landing, Ino noticed him. Naruto was standing in only his towel wrapped around him. As he crossed the room quickly, blushing at her stare, she thought only one thing, "Holy shit, he's ripped! Is this really the same scrawny Naruto I knew three years ago?" Naruto almost ran into his bedroom, blushing the entire way. He wasn't accustomed to showing off his body to anyone, let alone a girl. He immediately got into his clothes, a light blue shirt and khaki shorts. He came back out to see Ino looking off into the distance, her eyes glazed, and drool on the side of her mouth. He stepped up in front of her and snapped his fingers. Ino looked at him and then hastily wiped the drool from her lips.

"You want anything to eat, Ino? I was going to get a pizza or something, but I decided to ask you first," Naruto said. Ino went back into a trance briefly, wondering about something else that he could eat, but he snapped his fingers again and she said, "I'll just have a couple of slices off your pizza. I'm dieting, after all."

Naruto shook his head knowingly, and ordered pizza. The two of them sat watching a TV flick until the pizza arrived. Suddenly, Naruto remembered. "Oh man, I totally forgot to inform Kakashi sensei that I've found a place! Just give me a moment, Ino." "Sure," she replied, "But make it quick, I don't want the pizza to get cold."

Naruto stepped into the balcony and dialed Kakashi sensei's number. The phone rang thrice before Kakashi picked it up, saying, "What's up, Naruto? You didn't tell me whether you found a place yet." Naruto said, "I'm sorry, I totally forgot about it. I'm renting a room at Ino's apartment coz she has an extra room. I'll stay here until I find a place of my own to buy." Kakashi nodded, although Naruto couldn't see him, and said, "Good for you, Naruto. Well, take care. I'm going to the Hokage's office now, she had called me today afternoon. How about meeting me in the evening at the Memorial Stone?"

"Sure thing, sensei!" Naruto agreed enthusiastically. Kakashi hung up and Naruto headed back in. Ino had put some ketchup and chili powder on the pizza and was waiting to start. He looked at her, confused, "Why didn't you start eating, Ino?" She looked at him and said simply, "You ordered the food. I cannot insult that be starting before you. We should eat together." He said, "Sorry, I'm not used to all this stuff because I've lived alone till now."

Kakashi entered the office of the Hokage. She looked up and said, "Good of you to drop by." He smirked under his mask and said, "Nice of you to **ask**." She nodded at him to sit. As he sat on the chair in front of her, she leaned forward and asked him, "Did you notice all the combat styles and jutsus that Naruto has suddenly seemed to learn?" Kakashi nodded, saying, "It's quite astonishing. I have only ever seen Kushina-san use the Iron Monk style before. How did the knucklehead learn it?"

Tsunade said, "I asked him about it and it took some prodding and a Blood Oath and he told me." Kakashi's eye widened in surprise. If the Hokage had to take a Blood Oath to hide the secret, it must indeed be something astonishing. He asked, "Can you give me any hint as to what it is?" Tsunade smirked and said, "Much as I wish I could, I can't. The Blood Oath was taken in front of Naruto and he worded it for me. Although I can tell you this; Naruto is quite possibly the strongest ninja in the Hidden Leaf village right now, even surpassing the Fourth Hokage."

Kakashi looked at her, numbed with shock. What training had Master Jiraiya given Naruto, that the Hokage had said that he had surpassed Kakashi's sensei? He looked at her and said, "I see. Well then, I guess you're planning to retire soon, right?" She laughed and said, "Not quite. Naruto may be stronger than anyone else, but his level of maturity is still comparable to an infant. When he shows his maturity, and attains the level of Jonin, I will no doubt hand over the title to him. But Kakashi, should anything happen to me before this, I wish for you to be the next Hokage."

Kakashi paled and said, "But Milady, I don't want..." Tsunade held up her hand and stopped him. She said, "I never asked for this job as well. But when I came back, I realized that this was indeed what I was meant for. Just as you are meant for it too. You have punished yourself for too long, for thinking that you failed to protect your comrades. No more. This time, if anything happens to me, you **will** be the next Hokage and guide the village until Naruto is ready for it."

Kakashi nodded weakly. She said, "You may leave." He thought, 'What a drag!'

They enjoyed the pizza, and went back to watching some more TV, Naruto occasionally glancing at Ino and vice versa, until evening when Naruto went to meet Kakashi. Kakashi said, "I am happy you found a place to stay, Naruto. Although I'll miss the early morning bacon." They both laughed briefly before Kakashi continued, "Be a little careful, Naruto. Staying in a girl's house always attracts unwanted attention and awkward questions." Naruto nodded and said, "I know, sensei. But Ino insisted and said that if anyone said anything, she would help me shut that person's mouth as well." Kakashi looked at him in surprise, thinking, 'When did Ino become so close to Naruto?'

"Alright then, see you later, Naruto." Kakashi took off, and Naruto headed back home before realizing that he was headed to the barracks. He chided himself for forgetting, and turned the other way around. As he reached the building, he saw Ino out in the balcony, tending to her flowers. He smiled happily.


	10. Chapter 10: Vacation Time!

**Chapter 10: Vacation Time?! A Mission at the Beach!**

"… two ninety seven, two ninety eight, two ninety nine, three hundred!" Naruto said as he completed his push-ups. He got up from the ground and fell into the sofa. Ino came out of the kitchen and yelled, "For the last time, Naruto, don't put that sweaty body of yours on the sofa! How many times do I have to tell you?" He was up in a moment, wiping his sweat off with his towel, saying sheepishly, "Sorry, Ino-chan."

She froze. "What did he just call me? Did he just say Ino-**chan**?" she thought, blushing. He realized what he had just said and quickly said, "If you don't like the honorifics, I won't use them again, Ino." Ino looked at him, still blushing slightly. She teased, "On the contrary, I liked it a lot, Naru-**chan**!" She emphasized on 'chan' and he blushed too, understanding how she had felt when she heard it.

"What's got into me? Calling Ino as though she is my… Although she is my friend now, I should give her some time before I start using that word again." Naruto thought, and he went into his bedroom. Ino went back into the kitchen and continued preparing pancakes for breakfast.

Naruto came out of his bedroom in full uniform, and sniffed at the delicious smell of the pancakes. "Wow, Ino-ch… Ino, you're a really good cook!" He said, while thinking, "There I go again! Gotta remember to stop calling her that!" Ino smiled and said, "My mom taught this recipe to me. I thought of trying it, now that I have someone else to cook for too."

Naruto looked at her, embarrassed, and said, "Ino, you don't have to cook for me, ya know? I can cook too." Ino said, "I know I don't have to. But I want to. I never cook because it's too much to do just for one person. But since we are two of us, I can cook now without it being a waste of time." Naruto replied, "In that case, I will help you with cooking too." She nodded, pleased, "I would like that." They both sat and ate the pancakes, Naruto enjoying the flavor of the pancakes. Just as they were finished, a knock on the door caught their attention.

Ino tried to take the dishes, but Naruto beat her to it. "You cooked," he said, "It's only fair that I do the dishes." She smiled at him, and went to answer the door, while he took the dishes into the kitchen. It was Sakura. She came inside, saying, "Get ready, Ino. Our teams have a mission." Naruto's ears perked up. He created a single clone without making a sound. The clone grumbled silently, thinking, 'Why do I always get the work?' Naruto stepped closer towards the living room. He heard Sakura saying, "The Hokage has called our teams right away to Ninja Ops. I was trying your phone but it was not getting connected." Ino nodded, saying, "The battery ran out. I only just put it for charging." Sakura sighed and said, "I haven't been able to find Shikamaru and Naruto as well. I wonder where they've gone."

Ino's eyes shot up in amazement. She didn't know that Naruto had not told Sakura about him renting Ino's house. Naruto slapped his hand to his forehead as well, "How could I forget about that?" he thought. He stepped into the living room and Sakura noticed him. "Naruto? What on earth are you doing here?" Sakura said, looking at Ino and him suspiciously. Naruto said, "My house in the barracks was destroyed by someone. I've rented the spare bedroom in Ino's house."

Sakura looked at his seemingly honest face, but wasn't entirely convinced. However, she realized he was in his full uniform and guessed that he was at least partially telling the truth. She said, "Anyway, come on quickly. The Hokage is waiting for us." Naruto nodded, and Ino said, "Both of you get going. I'll get ready and meet you guys in ten minutes at Ops." Naruto and Sakura nodded.

They both took to the buildings, with Naruto growing more and more uncomfortable as Sakura's eyes bore through him from behind. He finally stopped on top of a building and said, "What is it, Sakura?" She looked at him intently and said, "Why didn't you tell me that your house was destroyed?" He replied, "Everything happened very quickly. The only people apart from Ino who knows this is Kakashi sensei, Grandma Tsunade, Kiba and Shino. And some of Kakashi sensei's old friends from the ANBU who Kakashi sensei sent me to ask if they could show me around their old houses. I bunked with Kakashi sensei the day before and spent half the day yesterday searching for houses. I met Ino at Ichiraku's and she told me that she wanted to rent her spare bedroom out. So I decided to take a look and liked the locality. It's also close to Ichiraku's and the Ninja Ops as well."

They had started moving again. Sakura looked at him uncertainly. He blushed uncomfortably under the gaze. She suddenly asked, "Naruto, do you have a crush on Ino?" He almost fell as he heard her statement. "Wha…What? Why would you uhh, think that way, S…Sakura?" he stammered. "I Knew It!" shouted Inner Sakura, while Sakura looked at him, "Don't try to hide it from me, Naruto! I know you quite well by now," she cracked her knuckles dangerously. He looked at her, terrified, and said, "Ok ok, fine. Ever since I returned to the Leaf village and saw her that day when we met them, remember, the time they were heading out for that B-Rank mission? I started crushing on her a little from then. But please don't tell her, Sakura. She's only recently become my friend and I don't want to ruin our friendship by this."

Sakura looked away and then said, "Don't worry. Your secret is safe with me." He heard an odd emptiness in her voice, but couldn't understand what it was. They reached the Ninja Ops to see Iruka, Yugao, Hinata, Choji, and Shikamaru waiting for them. Sakura guessed that Choji had found Shikamaru. They went into the office and Tsunade turned to talk to them, before saying, "Where's Ino?" Sakura replied, "She didn't receive the call like the others, because her phone's batteries were discharged. She'll be here in ten minutes."

"Alright then, we'll wait for her," the Hokage said. After around twelve minutes, Ino shunshined into the office in full combat gear, and the Hokage immediately started, "I have an A-Ranked mission for all of you." Everyone looked at her in surprise. There were eight of them standing there, 2 of them Jonin, 5 of them Chunin, and one Genin who was stronger than most Jonin. They wondered what missions could require so many people. The Sannin continued, "The mission is to protect the daughter of the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, Princess Narumi from a kidnapping attempt."

Suddenly most of them realized why such a substantial group was being sent for the mission. The Daimyo had absolute control over the country, and his daughter was the only weakness anyone could exploit in order to take over the entire country at once. "Lady Tsunade," said Iruka, "I don't understand why we need eight ninja for this job. Surely the threat is not that big."

"Quite correct, Iruka. The threat is not great, but this is the daughter of the Daimyo, so a show of strength and loyalty is needed," Tsunade said, and Iruka nodded, as did Naruto.

Choji raised his hand and Tsunade looked at him questioningly. "Why aren't Kiba, Neji or Shino here? Or for that matter, Lee?" She nodded appreciatively at his question and said, "Lee is still in therapy from the damage he took against the grave robbers. Kiba's clan markings are much bigger than yours and are too obvious. Also, Neji has the Curse Mark Seal, which will make him stand out since he will not be able to cover it. And there is a reason Shino is covered from the head down." Choji nodded, satisfied with the reasoning.

"And you are not eight ninjas," continued Tsunade, "You are nine. Tenten has been undercover for a month as an exchange student to the school of Princess Narumi, and will be joining this mission. The various schools around the country are sending their students to Norikawa beach in the Land of Waves for a week to see the upcoming meteor shower." Everyone nodded, and she said, "This mission is such that you will not be allowed to act as ninja. You must pass as civilian students. That means, no visible weapons, civilian clothes, and since it's a beach, swimsuits."

Hinata, Sakura and Ino blushed. The boys looked at each other, slightly embarrassed. Tsunade continued, "You will be leaving next week. Make sure that you have everything ready with you when you leave. And Iruka, make sure that Naruto has appropriate clothing, given his fashion sense. Or complete lack thereof."

"Hey!" Naruto glared at her and everyone else except Hinata laughed.

As they headed out of the office, Hinata looked at Yugao and tapped her fingers, saying, "Umm…Yugao-san? I don't have a swim…swimsuit. I still have my academy one, but I don't think it will fit. Can you help me?" Yugao smiled gently at the timid girl and said, "Sure, Hinata. I just have to take care of a few things, and then I'll meet you around 4PM at Yoroi's store?" Hinata nodded and rushed off, still blushing. "Such a sweet young girl," Yugao thought, before leaving as well.

Ino and Sakura stepped out from the corner where they had been eavesdropping. Ino said, "You know, it's been a long time since I went to the beach. Wanna get a look at something nice to wear?" Sakura groaned as Ino smiled mischievously, for more than one reason. They headed out to Yoroi's store as fast as they could, Ino leading the way.

Meanwhile, Naruto and Iruka were unknowingly headed the same way. Naruto grumbled the entire way, saying, "I have enough clothes, Iruka sensei! I don't need more clothes!" Iruka nodded, saying, "You have enough clothes which would make other people puke, Naruto. You're coming with me and picking out at least five new outfits that will make you look more like a human being than an orange scarecrow."

As they entered the shop, Naruto heard Ino's voice, saying, "How about this one, Sakura?" And heard the gasp of Sakura, saying, "No way! It's so…so…revealing! Absolutely not!" Ino sighed. Sakura could still be such a shy girl when it came to flaunting herself. She picked up another swimsuit, a light pink tank top along with light blue short shorts. She thrust them to Sakura and told her, "Get in there and put in on." Sakura groaned at this unnecessary stuff and went in after catching the expression on Ino's face, which clearly said, 'Get in there or I'll Mind Transfer in there and do it myself.'

As Naruto heard all this, the pervert inside of him rose majestically and he said, "I don't really like any of these shirts, Iruka sensei, they're all pretty ugly. I need some new sandals, though. I'mma look at some." Conveniently, the sandals stand was quite near the changing rooms, so he could get a good look at the girls.

Ino was standing with her back to him, checking out a couple of bikinis. She was wearing a loose shirt and slacks, facilitating her to quickly change clothes, if needed. She turned towards the dressing room, saying, "This one seems to be my size." He looked at her and thought, '34D – 24 – 32.'

_"Now, Naruto, the first thing you must learn before any battle is, how to measure up your opponent precisely and accurately,"_ the old Sannin had taught him. Of course, rather than teaching him to size up real opponents, the old man had made Naruto look at women passing by, until the knucklehead could tell the size of a woman at a glance. Now, only the thickest of coats or jackets would have shielded his eyes from measuring the girl in front of him.

As she waited for Sakura to come out, Ino picked out two more suits to try on. Naruto got a small nosebleed, imagining how she would look in them. Just then Sakura came out, wearing the suit that Ino had given her. It looked quite good on her, and was not revealing much except her legs, which she didn't hide anyway. Ino nodded appreciatively, saying, "Very cute, Sakura." Naruto nodded too, thinking, '30A – 24 -28.'

Just then, Hinata and Yugao also entered the store. Ino and Sakura looked at the new arrivals and welcomed them. Yugao picked up a two piece swimsuit for Hinata, who almost fainted, seeing how revealing it was. Yugao put it down almost instantly, picking up another two piece, which was a halter top along with half thigh shorts. She gave them to Hinata and said, "Try it on." Still blushing furiously, Hinata put on the two piece and came out. Naruto almost whistled before he caught himself. He thought, "34DD – 24 – 32."

Both Ino and Sakura looked at Hinata's chest with jealousy; however, Hinata didn't seem to notice, as she looked over straight into Naruto's eyes at the sandal stall, and squeaked, "Na…Naruto?" before fainting on the spot.

Sakura also looked over to the spot and Naruto found a rather different expression on her face. "NA-RU-TO!" she roared and charged at him. He caught her punch with his right hand rather than let himself get clobbered as usual. "How dare you peek like this at us, Naruto?" Ino walked up to him, looking at him appraisingly and asked, "Were you peeking, Naruto? If you were, prepare to die."

Naruto gulped slightly. Ino's calm gaze had scared him more than Sakura's aggressiveness. He knew that if she Mind Transferred into him, she would find out everything immediately. He didn't give her the chance, delving into another advice the Pervy Sage had given him. "_Always have a reply ready if anyone catches you while infiltrating some secret forbidden area, Naruto." _And of course, the Sannin had forced Naruto to peek at women in hot springs until Naruto could smoothly lie after being caught in such situations.

He looked unflinchingly at Ino and said, "You heard Lady Tsunade talking about my fashion sense, right?" Ino and Sakura nodded, and he continued, "I came to the shop to buy some shirts, but they were all quite bad. Iruka sensei is still looking over the shirts again, see?" they saw Iruka standing nearby, ruffling through shirts. They looked at him with a little less suspicion. "Then what are you doing here?" they asked at the same time.

He continued, "I needed to buy civilian sandals. As you know mine are totally out for this trip. They are fully armored ninja sandals, and anyone would catch me immediately. And anyway," he said, "I was gonna see you girls in swimsuits soon anyway, so why would I bother getting beat up just to see you a few days earlier?" He let go of Sakura's hand as if to make his point. Ino and Sakura looked at each other and then pulled out a pair of sandals from the stand. "These will do for you," Sakura said. She then picked up Naruto by the scruff and put him down next to Iruka. She said, "You forgot something, sensei." Before walking off back to where Yugao was trying to revive Hinata.

Iruka looked at Naruto questioningly, "What did you do now, Naruto?"

Naruto said defensively, "Don't you wanna see what swimsuits the girls are gonna wear?"

Iruka looked at Naruto severely and said, "First of all, I respect girls. Secondly, they are my students." He said to himself, "Also, if **she **caught me looking at teenaged Kunoichi, suicide would be preferable to what she would do to me." Naruto's ears perked up as he hear the sentence. "Who's **she**, Iruka sensei?" he asked, smirking at his former mentor. Iruka stammered, "Umm…. Lady Tsunade, of course."

Naruto nodded, thinking what Iruka sensei had said and decided it wasn't worth taking another peek. They went out to other shops and picked out a few interesting t-shirts and shorts for Naruto. Naruto thanked Iruka sensei for his time and the two of them parted ways.

Naruto reached home to find the door locked. He fished out the key, remembering that Ino was with the others back at Yoroi's store. He entered the house, muttered, "I'm home" and went to keep his stuff in his bedroom. After that, he got some ramen out of the refrigerator, heated some water, poured it into the ramen cup and started eating.

Just then a kunai flung its way into the house and he jumped up, his mouth full of burning hot noodles, as the kunai had distracted him and made him take a much larger bite than intended. As he spat the noodles back into the bowl and began dancing around in pain, Ino entered the house with another kunai armed in her left hand. As she saw Naruto, her expression changed to that of complete embarrassment and she said, "I'm so sorry, Naruto. I haven't got used to seeing the door unlocked when I get back. I totally freaked out and forgot that you were also staying here now."

He said, "It's okay. Only don't ever do it again. I burned my mouth pretty badly right now." Ino looked at him, confused, then looked at the ramen cup in his hand and started giggling uncontrollably. She burst out laughing and tears streamed out of her eyes. Naruto couldn't help himself and started laughing too.

Then he noticed the bag on her arm and asked, "Your swimsuit?" while blushing faintly. She stopped laughing slowly, gasping for air, and simply nodded her head. Then she gave him a coy look and said seductively, "Want to see me in it?" Naruto couldn't stop; his face turned beetroot red as she smiled at him, came close to him and admonished softly in his ear, "Pervert." Then she smiled wickedly and said, "I'm gonna make you wait for ages, before you see me in this, Naruto!"

Naruto turned and quickly ran into his room before she could notice 'it'; he heard her laughing again as she went to change in her own room. "What just happened? Did Sakura tell Ino about my crush on her? She wouldn't, would she?" Naruto said, worried and his pants tented in appreciation of Ino's sudden seductive performance.

As the day arrived to leave for the tour, Ino and Naruto both woke up at dawn and started to get ready. As Ino stepped out of her room, Naruto goggled at her. Ino was wearing a simple lavender frock which went down to around half of her thighs. It was tight fitting until the part where it flared at her hips, and spread out a little at the end. She blushed slightly at his stare, but maintained her composure nevertheless. Naruto said, "You look stunning, Ino!"

She smile and said, "You're not looking half bad yourself." He had worn a deep blue t-shirt with a golden floral print on it, perfect for the beach. Along with them went a pair of beige shorts, which looked like camo material. Ino appreciated the outfit, liking Naruto's choice, not knowing that Iruka had picked these out for Naruto.

They both left the house, Naruto locking it behind them. As they reached the gates, they found no one there except the guards. "Where is everyone?" Naruto thought. After a couple of minutes, Sakura showed up, wearing a light green tank top that matched her eyes, and full length jeans. She also wore a nice hat, and looked pretty as well. Naruto complimented her as well, and she smiled and said, "Thanks, Naruto."

One by one, everyone arrived. Naruto looked around but couldn't see Tenten or Iruka anywhere. He asked Yugao where they were and Yugao replied, "Tenten is still with the students of Princess Narumi's school. She will meet us directly at the Land of Waves. As for Iruka, he's getting our transportation."

Naruto looked at her in confusion, saying, "Transportation?"

Sakura looked at him, exasperated and said, "Are you going to walk to the Land of Waves, Naruto?" He replied, "Why not? I've done it before." She said, "You're not a ninja this time, baka. We have to act as civilians. No civilian would be able to walk to the Land of Waves in a day!" He nodded, understanding, and then looked at the gates as a huge vehicle suddenly rumbled up towards them, with Iruka driving.

"A bus? Where'd it come from?" Naruto asked. Iruka got down from the bus and replied, "The Leaf village keeps come of these vehicles on hand for urgent business or for loaning to the civilians if they wish to travel in a tour."

"So where did you learn to drive, Iruka sensei," Naruto inquired, to which Iruka replied, "ll Chunin over the appropriate age are taught how to drive." He looked at Sakura and asked her, "So you can drive?" She said wistfully, "No, you have to be 18, not only a Chunin."

"Alright, everyone put your bags in the back of the bus, and then pick a seat." Yugao said, and everyone complied. Somehow Naruto found himself sitting next to Ino. He smiled at her, and she smiled back. Hinata looked at the two of them, uncertain of what to do. Just then, Naruto looked back at Hinata and said, "Hey Hinata, what happened to your eyes? They used to be white." She stammered, "I couldn't pass as a civilian with the Byakugan, so the Hokage gave me colored contacts to wear." He smiled at her, saying, "Nice color, just like my eyes." She blushed at that, sighing in relief that she had spoken to him without fainting.

Just then the bus started and Naruto lurched at the sudden movement. He looked uncomfortably at Ino, who stared back in surprise. "Have you never been on a bus, Naruto?" she asked. He replied, "I never got a chance, Ino. Have you been on a bus before?" She said, "Yes, I was five when my parents took me to Kishinjimi beach at the Land of Water. That was the first time I sat in a bus."

Naruto nodded, still feeling a little uncomfortable. As the time passed, he got a little used to the feeling and got up, going to the front of the bus. He asked Yugao, who was sitting in front with Iruka, "Can I sit next to you?" Yugao looked at him, surprised and he said, "I've never moved so fast without having control over my body before. I wanted to see the trees as they passed by from the front." She nodded and shifted to the left to make a place for him to sit.

Naruto tried to look at the view outside the bus, but his eyes kept focusing towards Yugao. She frowned at the attention, before he suddenly shouted, "That's it!" Iruka almost went off road at the distraction and glared at Naruto. "Sorry, sensei," Naruto said, before turning to Yugao, "I finally remembered where I've seen you before. You were sitting next to Kakashi sensei at the Third's funeral, weren't you?" Yugao exhaled in relief and said, "Yes, yes I was." Naruto went back to looking out of the window and Yugao turned her attention outwards too.

Still looking out of the window, Naruto asked, "So how do you know Kakashi sensei?"

Yugao blanched.

**Author's Note: **Yosh! There's another chapter for you guys. Hope you enjoy. I just wanted to share with you guys that I got my admissions done and I will be starting college on 1st September. I don't know if I will be able to post chapters everyday then, but hopefully I'll get some free time to do it. I really do hope that you guys are enjoying the chapters and please do review because it just fills me with pride every time I see a new review saying that it was a good read, or to tell me to update soon. So I'll see you guys tomorrow, and till then, Enjoy Reading!


	11. Chapter 11: Time to Have Fun!

**Chapter 11: Time to Have Fun!**

As they pulled up to the resort, Naruto couldn't help but almost run out and feel the fresh humid air on his face. The rest of the squad got down after him carefully, keeping an out for the other civilians, now that they were supposed to act like them. Sakura whispered angrily, "Act like a mature guy, Naruto!" He looked at her and remembered the mission. He nodded at her sheepishly.

Iruka stepped out of the driver's seat, yawning. "Everyone get your bags from the back of the bus. We'll get checked in and then have lunch. After that you guys can hit the beach." Everyone nodded, and trooped into the hotel. Just as they all finished getting their room keys, a shout came up from the opposite side of the room, "Hey, Ino!"

Ino looked around to find Tenten waving at her. She smiled and waved back. Tenten came running towards them, dragging another girl with her. She said, "It's so good to see you guys after so long! Aren't you a sight for sore eyes!" Everyone laughed and Iruka asked, "Who is your friend there, Tenten?"

Tenten said, "This is Narumi. She's a friend of mine from the school where I was sent as an exchange student." Everyone's eyes widened as they realized that it was the princess. Narumi was hazel eyed, with wonderfully long and curly black hair flowing down to the small in her back, and had a lean and athletic figure that rivaled Ino's. Her face was triangular shaped, with a slightly pointed chin, that gave her a look of cunning along with beauty.

Narumi bowed towards them slightly. Yugao said, "It is an honor to meet you, Princess Narumi." Narumi said, "Please do not say things like that. I really hate it when people address me like I'm someone high and mighty. I have done nothing yet, to receive such exaggerated reactions from people. Just call me Narumi, everyone. Tenten, won't you introduce me to your friends?"

Tenten nodded. She said, "These are our teachers, Iruka sensei and Yugao sensei. These are my friends, Ino, Sakura, Hinata, Naruto, Shikamaru, and Choji." Narumi looked them up and down. She shook everyone's hand. She seemed pleased with Naruto and Choji and a little put off at Shikamaru's expressions. She shook Hinata's hand with more than a little dominance, and clasped hands challengingly with Ino and Sakura. Her eyes twinkled as she met Ino's eyes.

Lunch was very nice indeed. As everyone sat and spoke, Princess Narumi walked up to them and asked, "May I sit with you guys?" Yugao said, "It would be an honor, Narumi-sama." Narumi frowned and Yugao said, "Sorry, Narumi-san, it is not easy for us to simply accept you as any other normal girl." Narumi sat down, saying, "Well, you must."

Everyone sat in an uncomfortable silence, except for Tenten, who spoke amicably with the princess. As she noticed, she said, "You don't have to be so silent, you know! I may be the daughter of a Daimyo, but I still am a regular girl." Her reaction set them off and the talking resumed. Naruto was sitting between Ino and Hinata. It was difficult for Hinata to talk to him, given the fact that all his attention was being directed towards Ino. However, Narumi was not as shy as Hinata and said, "Naruto, pass the pepper."

He ignored her and continued to talk to Ino. But Ino had gone silent and she urged him with his eyes, to give Narumi the pepper. Iruka said, "Didn't you hear, Naruto?" Naruto looked at them and said, "Of course I heard. But if any **normal **girl asked to to pass the pepper in that manner, I would ignore her just like this." Everyone stared at him with varying expressions of horror, but Iruka looked at him angrily and started, "Naruto, that's…"

"Completely right," said Narumi causing everyone to stare at her. She said, "I think that Naruto was completely right just now. I am trying to be a normal person, but I have got so used to ordering around everyone that I have forgotten my manners. Naruto, can you please pass the pepper?"

"Sure, Narumi-san," said the daredevil knucklehead, as he passed the pepper pot to her. Lunch continued with everyone back to normal. Or back to shy, in Hinata's case.

As the afternoon went on, Naruto and the other boys hit the beach. Naruto ran out into the ocean with a whoop of joy, before noticing that no one else had joined him. He said, "What's the hold up, guys?" Shikamaru shook his head disparagingly and said, "Don't you think we should wait for the girls?" Naruto grinned and said, "Sure." He came back out and waited. The first girl to come out of the hotel was Ino, walking out confidently in a matte black two piece, strapless at the top. It left around eighty-five percent of her body uncovered, but she couldn't care less. All she wanted was Naruto to look at her. As she found him staring at her, googly eyed, she thought, 'Jackpot!'

Ino attracted a large number of catcalls and wolf whistles as she sauntered over to Naruto and said, "Care to put sun block on my back? I can't reach over to it." Naruto grinned and said, "My pleasure, Ino."

Just then, Sakura came out of the hotel as well. She was annoyed at the way Ino had come out without her. Sakura was wearing the pink tank top and blue shorts which Ino had picked out for her. Many on the beach found the modest get-up of Sakura more attractive than Ino's shameless display. But the next arrival completely change the atmosphere.

Narumi burst out of the hotel, and almost every boy at the beach whistled in awe. Except Naruto, who's eyes were focused on Ino's flawless back, and Shikamaru, who thought that the whole thing was too 'troublesome'. Narumi was dressed in an expensive looking leopard print strapless top and high cut Brazilian bottoms to match. She came and sat next to the guys, attracting a large gaggle of boys around her.

Next out were Hinata and Yugao, Hinata radiating nerves, knowing that Naruto would see her in swimsuit for the first time. She wore a lavender halter top and grey-blue half thigh shorts. She certainly looked beautiful and attracted a crowd as well. As she tried to get rid of them and edged closer to Naruto and the gang, he looked up and saw her and Narumi as well. A well trained part of his mind immediately recorded Narumi's size, '34C – 24 – 30.'

"Focus, Naruto," came Ino's voice as he suddenly became aware that his hands were just above Ino's buttocks. He blushed furiously and went back to her upper back. Sakura scowled and looked away. Hinata also blushed brightly and Narumi looked at Naruto thoughtfully. The group of boys kept surrounding her and she finally allowed herself to be dragged away from them and join others in some activities.

Tenten had come out of the hotel, wearing a moss green one-piece. It was well fitting and showed off her toned body and abs without revealing her modesty. Naruto looked at her and thought, '32B – 26 – 28.'

After Ino was done, Yugao came over to them and Naruto thought, '34D – 24 – 32.' Yugao was wearing a two toned purple and blue one piece with a deep plunging neckline down towards her navel point. It was held together by crisscrossing strands of thread. The swimsuit ended in a high cut bottom, showing her legs and thighs in all of their glory. Some male teachers were bold enough to ask her for a cup of coffee, but she reminded herself of her mission and politely declined, saying that she was in a relationship. Ino, Sakura and Tenten's ears perked up at this and Yugao looked at them uncomfortably. They smirked at her and she thought, 'I'm so dead.'

"Come on guys, let's hit the water!" Naruto shouted and the others agreed. Shikamaru declined, saying, "I'm just gonna lie down here, looking at the clouds, thank you." He then whispered to them, "That way, I can observe Narumi-san and protect her if she's in any danger." Everyone agreed to his intelligent plan and went out into the water. Everyone splashed water at each other and enjoyed the time until evening came and it became cold out. Naruto gave Ino his towel to wrap around her, and she said, shivering slightly, "Thanks Naruto."

Hinata sighed. She had tried to get Naruto to notice her the entire time. But apart from a brief time when he had splashed her, he had seemed to be with Ino the entire time. As she thought about it, a sudden thought took control of her and she paled. She thought, 'I can't let **that** happen!'

Meanwhile, even Sakura was thinking along the same lines. 'Naruto seems to have gotten awfully close to Ino. What's up with him?' Everyone trooped in for dinner and Narumi joined them again. Iruka spoke, "No offense, Narumi-san, but shouldn't you be sitting with you own school students?" She shook her head, saying, "This is not only an expedition to watch the meteor shower. We're supposed to be making friends with other school children as well."

Everyone nodded. Narumi continued, "So what do you want to do after school, Tenten?" Tenten looked up at her and said, "I'm going to take over the family dojo, remember?" Narumi said, "Oh yeah, you had mentioned it before, sorry. What about you, Choji?" Choji looked at Iruka, who nodded. "I'm going to start a restaurant," he said, to which she nodded, saying, "I can see that… because you handled all the spices and condiments extremely well right now."

She looked at Hinata, who said, "My family wants to me to settle down into an arranged marriage. But I know for sure that I do not want that right now." Narumi nodded, sighing and said, "I know how that feels. To have your life planned out for you, not allowing you to live outside of it." She looked at Shikamaru, who said lazily, "I'll probably just take over the family ranch." She nodded at him, not expecting anything different, considering his attitude. She turned to Ino and asked, "Are you going to be a model like your mother?" Ino started to say, "No, I…" before glaring at her and saying, "How did you know that my mother was a model?" Narumi snorted and said, "Even with the different hair color and eyes, you have the same face cut, straight nose and lips. Mitsuri could have been the top model in the world, until she mysteriously disappeared twenty years ago."

Ino nodded, her glare disappearing and said, "My mother fell in love with my dad when he was on a mission to the Land of Water where she was at a photo-shoot. She came back with him. After that, she continued to do some modelling on a small scale in our country, but after she got pregnant and had me, she stopped it and started a flower shop. I do think she misses it sometimes, though. But no, I don't want to be a model. I think I'll take over the family business, like Shikamaru."

Narumi looked at Sakura who said, "I've already started studying to become a doctor." Narumi looked surprised and impressed, and said, "Wow! You must be so intelligent!" Sakura blushed slightly at the praise and replied, "Thank you, Narumi-san." Finally, Narumi looked towards Naruto, who as usual began rambling, "My dream is to be the next Ho…" before he trailed off, slumping a little bit. He then sat straight back up, saying, "Uhh, to be the next honorable person to continue my family profession." Narumi narrowed her eyes, and then guessed that nothing was wrong. Luckily she didn't happen to look at Ino, who had suddenly slumped backwards, unconscious.

"Whew! That was a close one!" thought Ino, as she looked at Narumi through Naruto's eyes. Narumi asked, "And what is your family profession?" Ino replied, using Naruto's vocal cords, "My father and grandfather used to write books. I want to continue their legacy." Narumi nodded and looked away from him. Just then, Ino released her Mind Transfer jutsu and went back into her body, before snapping back to attention as Narumi said, "You okay, Ino? You look tired, slumping onto your chair like that."

Ino replied, faking a yawn, "I'm just a bit tired, that's all." Her fake yawn set off a reflex which everyone got caught into, except Naruto, who was suddenly wide awake after having his mind's control taken away from him. Narumi said, "It's been fun talking, guys. I guess it's time to hit the bed. I'll see you guys tomorrow."

She went off towards her own class, looking back at Naruto once, before leaving the dining hall. Everyone congratulated Ino and clobbered Naruto for almost giving them away. As he tried to get up from the ground, clutching his ribs from the punch that Sakura had put through them, Ino said, "We better keep a look out outside Narumi-san's room. We don't want to take any chance, do we?"

Iruka and Yugao nodded at her thoughtfulness and said, "We will keep watch in shifts. First off, I'll keep a watch, after that Yugao, then Shikamaru, Choji, Naruto, Ino, Sakura and finally Tenten. Everyone will keep watch for an hour before being relieved by the next person. Got it?" Everyone nodded and then went to their respective rooms.

Naruto moved through the rooms, heading towards Narumi's room. He relieved Choji and stood watch outside. He opened her door once to make sure that everything was okay and paled as the outside light fell onto Narumi's face. He quickly shut the door, hoping that she hadn't woken up. But he was wrong. Narumi's door suddenly opened and he felt himself being yanked inside.

He stared through the darkness until Narumi reached out and put the light on. She stared at him and then said with a hint of seduction, "I've wanted to be with you alone for quite some time now, Naruto-kun. Looks like I finally have my chance. How would you like to marry me?" He stared at her, bewildered. He stepped back from her and said, "What do you mean, Narumi-san? I was just going to get a drink of water."

"I've been awake all this time, Naruto-kun. I know that you are a ninja. I know that your dream is to be Hokage." Naruto paled, thinking fast, "What? How could she know? Gotta think of something fast!" He said quickly, "Huh? What are you talking about, Narumi-san? Me, a ninja?" He laughed nervously and then his laughter faded away as she came closer to him, sliding her right index finger across his chest and tracing his abs over his clothes.

"I'm not a total idiot, you know, Naruto. My father has taken an interest in your abilities and requested all your mission reports over these few years. Recently, I began borrowing some of them as well. I must say, you are quite exceptionally talented." Narumi said. His eyes widened. She continued, "You want to be Hokage, right? I can easily make that wish come true. My father already has approved of you. All it will take is my word, and you can be the next Hokage at the drop of a hat. All I want is for you to be my consort, when I step up and take my father's place as Daimyo."

He looked at her and said, "What's a consort?" She almost fell through the floor at his dense attitude. "A Daimyo's spouse, Naruto!" she said, almost exasperated, before she remembered that she was trying to seduce him. He looked at her, even more bewildered, and tried to get away from her. But she held on to him and said, "Think about it. The Hokage and the Daimyo of the Land of Fire being in a relationship. We would have literally no opposition. Think of how powerful our children would be!" Naruto blushed at the proposition while she continued seductively, cutting him off, "In fact, there's no reason to wait for practicing."

He blushed even more and put his hands over his pants as she slowly started sliding her nightgown around her shoulders. He stared at her as she guided her hands towards her not insubstantial bosom. He was in a trance; he stretched his hands out, his mind totally overpowered by his instincts. He was an inches' length away when he suddenly saw a flash in front of his eyes.

Green eyes, looking at him happily; green eyes, tears streaming down them; green eyes, looking at him, hurt and angry. He shook her hand off of his and said, "What am I thinking? If your father finds out about this, I'm dead for sure!" Narumi sighed, pulling her nightgown back over her shoulders. She said, "Honestly, I didn't expect you to go this far."

"But I'm serious, Naruto. I would really like to marry you, be your partner," Narumi continued. Naruto said, "How can you be serious? You don't know almost anything about me!" Narumi shook her head, "I know everything about you. Like I said, I started borrowing Father's files of your records. I know that you have the Nine-Tailed Fox sealed inside you. I know that you are kind and brave, and strong. I know that you have been tormented almost half of your life. But I still want you, Naruto. I am quite serious."

Naruto was stunned. She wanted him although she knew that the Kyuubi was sealed inside him? This girl was crazy! He said, "I am sorry. I really am. But I'm not sure that I like you so much that I would like to marry you."

Narumi looked hurt and offended. He added hastily, "Not that you aren't beautiful or anything like that. You are stunning and would probably get any guy you want. But I don't think that you love me. I may be just a crush that you have, but because of your sheltered life, you feel that it is true love."

"And anyway," he continued, a little loudly, over her voice, "I've already given my heart to someone else." Narumi's eyes, which were looking down at her feet, shot up in surprise and amazement. "Who is it?" she asked. He said, "Ino Yamanaka."

Outside the door, Ino's heart stopped. Tears silently flowed down her cheeks as her mind replayed Naruto's words. She found herself remembering each and every moment of her life she had spent with Naruto, him laughing, sulking, yelling, playing tricks, lying unconscious in the hospital and staring googly-eyed at her. She had only one thought in her mind, "He loves me! He loves me **too**!"

**Author's Note: **Sorry for the delay, guys. I'm really mad at my ISP, coz I've been experiencing internet connectivity loss for the past 48 hours now. I am at my cousin's house so I decided to immediately update my story, so as to keep you guys happy. Please review and as usual, Happy Reading!


	12. Chapter 12:The Threat To The Princess

**Chapter 12: The Threat to the Princess**

Naruto picked up the protesting Narumi and put her back into the bed. He pulled up her bedcovers and covered her up to her neck. He then silently apologized with his eyes, and came back out of the room. As he left, Narumi stared at his receding body in a thoughtful gaze. Naruto came out of his room and saw Ino standing there staring at him. She had wiped her cheeks and betrayed no emotions that she had overheard their conversation.

Naruto looked at her, surprised and a little scared, "What are you doing here, Ino?" he asked, while thinking, "If she heard what I said in there, I'm so dead." Ino simply said, "My time to take a watch." He looked at his wristwatch and realized that his one hour was up. He looked back at her sheepishly and said, "Sorry, I forgot."

Ino looked back at him and asked lightly, "What were you doing inside the room, Naruto? You are supposed to be guarding her, not getting cozy with her." She blushed slightly as she said it, thinking about him getting cozy with her. Naruto turned as red as a beetroot and said, "It's not like that, Ino! She just uhh, woke up and saw me outside, so she called me in to see what happened!"

Ino chuckled, thinking, "He's still got a ways to go before he can lie to my face." Naruto looked at her nervously and she almost kissed him before she caught herself. 'I can't, not right now. He may not be ready. And I don't want to scare him off by taking sudden steps. But he's looking so cute!' Naruto said, "Umm, Ino? Are you there?"

She suddenly broke out of her trance, and looked at him. He was still looking at her nervously, and Ino suddenly wanted to giggle a lot. But the mentalist ninja controlled her emotions and said, "You better go to sleep, Naruto. We have a long day of surfing and swimming ahead of us tomorrow."

Naruto nodded, still unsure whether she had overheard anything. He went back to his room, still looking back at her a bit, while she carefully controlled herself. As soon as he was out of her sight of vision, she slumped against the wall, sighing with joy again. Just then, the door opened and Narumi came back out. Ino stared at her, and Narumi gave her a look over before saying, "You're the luckiest girl I have ever met. Take care of him or I'll take him away right in front of your eyes," she threatened, but with a small hint of sadness in her face.

Ino suddenly hugged Narumi. The princess was so amazed by this sudden action that she just let the feelings ride. Ino looked at her and said, "You could have gotten him to do what you wanted today. You stopped immediately after he showed restraint. Thank you very much." Narumi shook her head, "As he went out of my room, I thought about it a little and realized that what he said was right. He is no doubt just a crush. **And **I have been living a sheltered life, so I just saw a chance to break out of it and took it head on. I'll probably get over him in a few days."

"And as for my stopping… I think I probably didn't have enough commitment to the crush as well. As soon as he showed the slightest bit of restraint, I felt embarrassed at what I had done," she continued. Ino slightly nodded and Narumi sighed. "I'm sorry for what I did right now, Ino. I hope you have it in your heart to forgive me." Ino shook her head and Narumi stared at her in astonishment. Then Ino said firmly, "You don't owe me an apology. You have every right to flirt with any guy you like. It's not like Naruto and I are in a relationship right now. If we were, then I would have accepted your apology."

"Now go back to sleep, Narumi. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow." Narumi nodded and went back into her room. Ino sighed in contentment and thought, "Now, how do I get him to express his feelings for me?"

The next two days went as normal as anyone could hope for. Naruto enjoyed surfing so much that he would be on the surfboard for at least six hours. Narumi also enjoyed with her new friends, and Ino caught her staring wistfully at Naruto only a few times. The rest of the group had no idea what had happened and were enjoying themselves.

Naruto came back from the sea, panting, "Whoo! That never gets old!" Everyone was currently resting because the sun had just reached its zenith. They all smiled at him. Just then a big guy came up to Narumi. He was quite well built, but his face was far from handsome. He said, "Want me to keep you company, sweetie?" Narumi looked at him, disgusted, and said, "No thanks."

He caught her arm and said, "Look girl, on this beach, you'd be lucky to rate in the top ten. I'm doing you a favor. Now how about you please me now and I'll give you a nice gift tonight!" He leered at her. "Let me GO!" Narumi yelled and Naruto looked at her, caught in the arm of the guy. He stalked off towards the man and said, "Put her down, big guy, or you're gonna be sorry." The man said, "Beat it, kid. You're not even worth fighting for this girl."

Naruto caught his arm and pulled him into a rotating whirl. Like a trained judo fighter, he put his opponent down into the sand and walked off with Narumi. The rest of them grouped up with him, and Iruka said, "I'm proud of you, Naruto." Sakura whispered fiercely, "**Proud** of him? Naruto just used TaiJutsu on that guy!"

Iruka snorted, "If Naruto thought that was TaiJutsu, I'd bust him back to the academy." Tenten nodded, saying, "His form was terrible, and like an amateur, he put the guy down into the sand instead of releasing him at the apex." Naruto looked at her with a mix of annoyance and satisfaction. "Thanks, I guess?" he said. Everyone laughed, and continued their activities.

Naruto said, "Come on guys, let's build a big sand castle!" Sakura snorted, saying, "What are you, five?" He stopped smiling, glared at her and said shortly, "I never got to be five." Everyone stopped laughing and looked at him sympathetically. Then Shikamaru and Ino went up to Naruto and said, "We'll help you make a huge sand castle." He smiled at them and sat down. They sat next to him and began to gather sand. As he looked at the heap of sand, Naruto said, "I bet Gaara could build a sand castle in seconds."

Shikamaru chuckled, and Ino smiled, thinking of how Gaara would look, building a sand castle. As they were building the walls of the castle, Narumi joined them. She said, "Can I help?" Naruto looked at her and stammered, "Well… If you wa…want to." and Narumi sat, piling a bit of sand around her. Then she said in a nonchalant tone, "Forget that thing we talked about yesterday, it was a mistake on my part." Shikamaru looked at them curiously, but Ino said, "I'm parched. Can you get me something to drink, Shika?" He got up, muttering, "Troublesome blondes."

Narumi spoke again, "I am sorry for what I did yesterday, Naruto. I hope that you can forget it and we can be friends again." Naruto loosened up and nodded. They carefully piled sand on the walls and Ino used a little chakra to smoothen the walls of the castle. Naruto stared at her and then whispered to her when Narumi wasn't looking, "What are you doing, Ino? We aren't supposed to use chakra here!" Ino smiled, saying, "Narumi woke up when I was standing watch and realized that I am a ninja. So it doesn't really matter now, at least for the two of us."

Naruto mulled over the thought and then slowly used a little chakra to smoothen his side of the walls too. Just then Shikamaru came back and both of them stopped using chakra. Shikamaru handed Ino the drink and they sat together until lunch time, carefully creating a huge structure.

"Well, what happened?" said a cold voice. The big guy who had grabbed Narumi turned to him and said, "Some guy interrupted me. I would have fought him but there were too many people around. If he weren't there, I could have taken her."

"Ninja?" the cold voice asked. The brute shook his head, "Some amateur. Looked like he had taken a few judo lessons, that's all."

"Well, anyway, we will have to go for plan B," the cold voice said even more coldly. The brute nodded, satisfaction showing on his face.

Naruto sat drinking his water and looked over at Ino who was playing in the water along with Sakura. He felt strange. He had said that he had given her his heart, and sure enough, he felt so happy when she was near him, and sad when she departed. But he wasn't sure. He couldn't tell whether was love or just a crush, like he had before on Sakura. He thought, 'How does a person tell if he's in love or not?' He decided to ask Iruka, who was lying down next to him.

"Hey Iruka sensei, have you ever been in love with anyone?" Naruto asked. Grunt. Iruka snorted in his sleep. Naruto shook him awake and repeated the question. Iruka looked at him sleepy eyed, and said, "Huh?" Naruto shook his head disappointedly and went back to looking at Ino.

On the last day of the trip, everyone gathered around the beach and sat in small groups. Narumi approached the ninjas and asked, "Iruka sensei, can I join you guys?" Iruka replied, "Are you sure? You should be with your school for this event." She said, "Nah, they're not so interested in the meteors as they are at goggling at other people."

Iruka said, "Well then, you are welcome to join us." She sat next to Naruto and Ino, and said, "Can you help me with some poetry, Naruto?" with a smirk on her face. Naruto said, "Me?" nervously, while Ino and Sakura stuffed their fists in their mouth to stop laughing. Narumi nodded, smirking again, as she said, "You wanted to be a writer, didn't you?" He started sweating bullets even in the cold atmosphere outside.

"Well, ok, I guess…" he said, looking for moral support at the others. Iruka looked at his pleading eyes and said, "Naruto, I expect to see your poetry too." He glared at Iruka sensei, before muttering, "Ok, then." Everyone burst out laughing, including Narumi, and he realized that they were just making fun of him.

He looked at Ino, with a hurt look in his eyes, "You too, Ino?" Seeing his expression, Ino immediately felt bad and said, "Sorry, Naruto." He stalked off in anger, and she looked at the others, suddenly feeling very bad. Everyone looked back at her, **most** of them hinting at her, 'Go after him.'

Ino found him looking off into the night sky, sitting by himself amidst the rocks nearby the end of the beach. She smiled; he looked so cute, sitting there, just waiting to be comforted. He looked at her as she approached him. She smiled slightly at him and he turned away from her, pouting. She caught his hand and he pulled it away. "Why the long face, Naruto-kun?" Ino asked. Naruto didn't look at her, for a reason different than what she had thought. He was blushing so hard that the heat from his face could have fried an egg. 'She just called me Naruto-**kun**!'

Ino said, "I'm sorry I laughed at you, Naruto-kun." Naruto turned back and she saw him smiling. "I know, Ino-chan," he replied. Ino gasped and then blushed as realization dawned upon her. He had been acting all this time. Naruto said slowly, "I just wanted to watch the meteors with you. Do you want to?" Ino nodded. As the two of them watched the meteor shower raining down on Earth, Ino held his hand again, and this time, he didn't pull it away. Ino put her head on his shoulder in contentment, and he blushed moderately again, thinking, 'This is definitely not a crush anymore. I really love Ino-chan. And judging from her actions, she likes me too.'

He looked down at her and cupped her face. Ino looked up at him expectantly and he asked, "Do you like me, Ino-chan?" She looked at him in incredulous amazement for a second, and then replied tartly, "No, baka, I'm putting my head on your shoulder because I hate you." He blinked, before realizing how stupid that question had sounded, even for him. He said, "Then I'll take that as an affirmative." She shook her head violently and said, "No, Naruto-kun, I really don't like you."

He looked at her in shock and she continued, "I love you, Naruto. I have been in love with you for quite some time now. Do you know how difficult it is to hide the fact that you love someone, when he's standing right in front of you?" Naruto smiled and said, "I do, Ino-chan. I do." Her eyes shot up at him and he said, "You heard everything that night, didn't you? The night Narumi-san tried to… umm, tried to…" Ino giggled in spite of herself and said, "Yes, I heard everything. And you know what? I never felt so happy in my life as I did when I heard it." He turned faintly red with embarrassment, saying, "Then why didn't you say anything that night, Ino-chan?" She replied, "I wanted you to say it to me face to face, Naruto. Just like I did, right now."

Naruto leaned in towards her until they were nose-to-nose and said, "I love you, Ino-chan. I love you more than I love my life." She sighed happily and pulled him closer, until their lips met. As they kissed, the moon shined on them and the meteors continued raining down, creating a wonderful background.

Just then, a huge explosion at the hotel caused the two of them to break apart from each other. They looked at each other and nodded firmly. Ino said, "Romance will have to wait, Naruto-kun, we have a mission." Naruto nodded, but couldn't help smile at the kiss they had just shared. Both of them were in their civilian clothes, which had only one hidden pocket for keeping a single holdout kunai. They drew it out and both of them started over to the hotel.

As they reached the perimeter of the hotel, they saw a few people armed with bows and kunai standing outside. Naruto said, "We don't know anything about these guys. I'll have to do some recon." Ino nodded and said, "I can help, Naruto." He looked at her and she smiled, pointing to her head. He smirked and then said, "Shadow Clone Jutsu." Six clones appeared and then put their hands together, intoning, "Transform!" before turning into six little mice.

Meanwhile, Ino put her hands together and said, "Mind Transfer Jutsu!" and pointed to the guy nearest to them. As he lost control of his mind, Ino's body slumped and Naruto caught her and carefully laid her down. As Ino, in the guard's body, started walking towards them, one of the other guys said, "Hey! Where're you going?" Ino turned towards him and spoke in the man's voice, "Gotta go take a leak." The other guy nodded and turned away. Breathing a sigh of relief, Ino came to the real Naruto and said, "Put the shadow clones into my pocket."

Naruto nodded, and lifted all the transformed clones, putting them into the various pockets in the pants of the guy who's mind Ino had overpowered. Ino walked back and went into the hotel from a side entrance before anyone could notice her. She looked around all the rooms as she went, and left a mouse/clone into each of the rooms with hostages or guards. As a single clone remained, he turned back into himself and split off even more clones, sacrificing himself to create more of them.

Ino reached the dining room, and one of the guys stepped up towards her and said, "Anything to report?" Ino delved into the mind of the guy who she was impersonating, and finding nothing strange, said, "Nothing, just walked around to see if anyone was acting up." The man who had approached her said, "Then get back to your position soon, the boss is gonna be here soon." Ino scanned the room and saw all her allies sitting with Narumi at one end. She left another of the mice there and returned back to duty.

As she left the man's body, Ino erased his mind of what it had recorded until then, so that the man just went back to duty. She looked up at him, who was crouched next to her original body, and said, "There were approximately 40 of them. I have left your clones in each room, to make sure that they keep a watch on the men. Our friends are all in the dining room, along with Narumi." Naruto said, "In that case, we'll have to go stealth mode, to take them down. Sadly, stealth is not my strong suit. But we have to try."

The two of them snuck into the hotel, Ino leading, remembering the route from her previous recon. Just then, Naruto held her back, and said, "One of my clones just disappeared. Two guys are moving out a room into the corridor between the dining room and the main hall." Ino nodded, saying, "I know the place. It's three corridors from here."

They slowly crept up towards the dining room, clearing the rooms with guards and hostages as they did. Mostly, each room contained two guards, so they were easily overpowered by the two ninja. However, one room had contained four guards, and they had been alerted when two of them suddenly dropped dead. But before they could raise the alarm, the mouse behind him suddenly transformed back into Naruto's clone and choked both of them from behind, giving the original Naruto and Ino the chance to drop them dead. The clone saluted Naruto and cancelled himself out.

Finally, they reached near the dining room and sketched a plan. They had taken all the weapons they could, from the guards they had eliminated. Naruto's clones had all cancelled themselves by this point, so he didn't know exactly how many people were there in the dining room. They couldn't risk a single hostage. After all, their friends were there too, along with the daughter of the Daimyo. Ino said, "I'll sneak in and Mind Transfer into one of them again. Then I'll simply count how many of them are there and we can plan accordingly."

Naruto shook his head and said, "If you go in there, your body will be at risk while you are in your Mind Transfer status. I won't let you risk yourself. I'll split some more clones and they can find out the strength of the enemies." Ino nodded, smiling at her love's determination not to risk her. Naruto split off another two clones, who transformed into mice and scurried through the corridor into the dining room. A couple of seconds later, they cancelled themselves.

Naruto said, "Six guys inside the room, three of them outside the dining room on the side of the main hall. One of my clones picked up a snippet of talk from one of the enemies, saying, 'The boss is gonna be here in a couple of minutes now.' We have to go in, no matter what. We'll bust straight in with ten of my clones, and while my clones keep them occupied, you and I can free our team-mates." Ino nodded, and Naruto signed again, "Shadow Clone Jutsu."

Twelve clones made their way into the room and Ino said, "I thought you said ten clones, Naruto." Naruto shrugged, saying, "Grandma Tsunade keeps telling me to work on my chakra control." Ino facepalmed. The clones waited for his signal and armed themselves with the weapons that he and Ino had scavenged. On Naruto's signal, they rushed into the dining room.

Three of the enemies fell even as they shouted out. The rest of the three yelled out and the three outside the room charged in. Meanwhile, Naruto and Ino freed their fellow ninja and gave them some kunai as well. Just as the last clone was dispelled, the real Naruto charged and killed two of the enemies by himself. Shikamaru trapped the last four ninjas with his Shadow Possession Jutsu, and Sakura punched the lights out of one of them. Choji bowled into another, who had been tormenting him by calling him fat all the time. Tenten and Yugao dealt with another one, while Iruka smashed the wrist bone of the fourth guy with his staff blade. All of the enemies fell, and the ninjas looked at each other, nodding, before securing all the hostages and evacuating them from the dining room. Just as they were about to split off to look for other enemies, a cold voice emerged and said, "Well, well. What do we have here?"

They turned around and saw a ninja standing at the hall entrance with fifteen people behind them. He said, "You must be Leaf ninja. I had expected that the Hokage would interfere with this trip of Princess Narumi, but I didn't expect so many of you. I guess this means that you are not going to let us take Princess Narumi with us, are you?" The ninjas almost fell through the floor in incredulous amazement. He just expected them to hand over the daughter of their Daimyo to him? Naruto voice everyone's opinion, saying loudly and quite rudely, "Just who the hell are you?"

The man smiled, a cold smile, not reaching his eyes and said, "I am Ibumaru, the coldest of all the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist." Everyone gasped at that. Ibumaru was considered an S-Rank criminal, having tried to assassinate the Third Mizukage, and having taken the legendary sword Souhi, away from its previous holder forcibly, before leaving the village.

"Everyone be careful," Iruka said, "His sword is said to be so cold that anyone who even goes near it gets serious frostbite. And anyone who is unfortunate to touch it dies on the spot." Everyone gasped at that, except Naruto, who said, "No need to worry, we have enough long range fighters here who can get rid of him." Everyone felt the courage in his voice and nodded.

Ibumaru simply smiled wickedly and said, "My fellow people, it seems that the Leaf ninja do not wish for us to get our hands on Princess Narumi. If you would be so kind as to kill them for me, then you will all get the rewards that you have been waiting for all this time." Everyone behind him nodded, or grunted, or both, and charged at the Leaf ninjas. Naruto recognized one of them as the guy who had tried to kidnap Narumi on the beach and smirked, "Remember me?"

The guy said, "I'm gonna crush you, you little worm. I am Master Ibumaru's strongest apprentice." Naruto replied, "Oh yeah? Crush this! RASENGAN!" He yelled, and thrust the spiraling sphere straight into the guy's body, who coughed up blood before being thrown into three other of his comrades. The battle began in earnest and the bandits were quickly overpowered by the Leaf ninjas. They looked up at Ibumaru, who pulled out his sword and mocked them. But as they began to gather closer to him, he suddenly threw his sword down, and got down to his knees. Everyone stared at him incredulously, expecting a trap, but he said, "Forgive me. I'm not really Ibumaru of the Seven Swordsmen. I am simply a bandit who shares his name. I just wanted to make some quick cash and decided to kidnap Princess Narumi to facilitate it. I didn't expect that the Hokage would come to know of my plans and send out such a huge force to stop me. I apologize!" Naruto picked up his sword and said, "Look at how chipped and rusty this sword is."

Iruka cuffed the rogue Ibumaru while Yugao checked the sword to see if it really was a dud. She decided it was, and said, "Naruto, if you would be so kind and destroy it with your Rasengan?" Naruto nodded and created one of the spheres with his left hand and another one with his right hand. He intoned, "Rasenrengan!"

The two spheres struck the sword at opposite ends and began grounding away the metal from both sides, until they met in the middle and burst. Naruto turned towards the rest of his friends and said, "Well, that's that dealt with. What do we do with him?" The fake Ibumaru said, "Please take me with you! I'll do anything for your village! Just don't turn me back to the Mist village." Yugao said, "I'm sorry. We cannot do that, because an attempt to kidnap the daughter of the Daimyo of our country is grounds for execution."

Ibumaru blanched, and Iruka dragged him outside the hotel. Soon, everyone in the dining room heard the familiar sound of steel striking flesh and knew that the deed was done. Narumi came towards the dining room and asked, "Is it over?" They nodded and she heaved a sigh of relief.

The next day, the bus which came to pick up Narumi contained ten bodyguards in it. They didn't even allow her to change out of her bikini before throwing a towel over her body and escorting her into the bus. Naruto spotted Hawk and Tiger, two of the ANBU of their village, and Kakashi sensei's friends. He nodded to them and they nodded back, having met each other while Naruto had been house hunting. The two ANBU climbed the top of the bus, and it rumbled off.

Naruto sighed, saying, "Well, all's well that ends well. I enjoyed this trip more than I thought I would." He looked at Ino slightly as he said it, and she smiled happily. All in all, it had turned out rather well for her, she thought, as she looked back at the love of her life, now completing his sand castle with a small amount of sharpened wind chakra in his hand. She sat next to him and helped him along. Both of them missed the frowns on Sakura's and Hinata's faces.

Iruka brought out their bus and the gang of ninjas trooped back in, happy that their trip was finally over, and that they could get back to normal duty soon. They went off, laughing and chatting, and in someone's case, sitting shyly in one corner, blushing and stuttering.


	13. Chapter 13:Who Has the Strongest Eyes?

**Chapter 13: Who has the Strongest Eyes of them All?**

"Lady Tsunade!" Naruto rushed over to the Fifth Hokage's office. Behind him came two ninjas running, panting, "I'm sorry, Milady, he just wouldn't stop…" The Sannin raised her hand and said, "It's okay, you may leave." Both of them bowed and left the room. "What is it, knucklehead?" Tsunade asked. Naruto pulled out a flyer from his pocket and showed it to her.

"International Dojutsu Tournament?" Tsunade's eyes narrowed. Naruto nodded, saying, "Sasuke will definitely be there." Just then Tenten burst inside the office as well. Tsunade started angrily, "What is the meaning of this, Ten…" before Tenten cut across her, "Neji has gone AWOL." Tsunade stared at her incredulously before she strode back to her chair, sat down and demanded, "Explain."

Tenten continued, "I was scheduled to meet Neji at Training Ground 3 today morning at 9AM. But he didn't reach there. So I decided to go to the Hyuga manor to see if he was alright. But the guards there said that he had left the manor at 7AM in the morning. So I asked around nearby and one man told me that he had seen Neji near the village gates. I asked Raido where Neji had gone and he said that he had a scroll in his hand with the Hokage's signature, bearing some mission details. So I ran here immediately, because I know he wasn't scheduled for any missions. Unless you gave him an urgent mission today?"

Tsunade frowned, and said, "I didn't. This means that Neji is indeed AWOL. But I may have a clue why. Naruto here just gave me a flyer which is for an International Dojutsu tournament. I think Neji has left the village to attend this tournament. We must get him back, no matter what!" She banged her hand down on the desk and caused a deep crack to erupt across it. She calmed down slightly, thinking 'I don't need another lecture from Shizune about how costly furniture is.'

"Tenten, go and find Ino and Shikamaru. Also, call in Sakura and Lee as well. I'm going to send the six of you to bring Neji back. Go now." The Sannin said, and Tenten shot off at a speed which would have impressed Lee. The Hokage looked at Naruto and said, "What makes you think that Sasuke will be there, knucklehead?"

Naruto smirked; knowing that she would ask, he had his answer ready. He said, "Sasuke has always wanted to prove that he is the strongest ninja around. Also, he will want to go because he knows that Itachi would go, because I would go, because he would go." Tsunade stared at him, saying, "So he will go for the tournament because he will go? That's circular logic, Naruto!"

"Huh?" Naruto said, and she continued, "Since each of you will go because the other will go, there is neither a beginning, nor an end, which renders your point moot." He shook his head, saying, "That doesn't matter. I just know that he will be going, and I want to go after him and bring him back. After all, I promised Sakura that I would bring him back, no matter what happens."

Tsunade narrowly avoided banging her fist on the desk again. She looked at him with a dark expression on her face and he shuddered. She said, "You are going on a mission to bring Neji back right now. If I hear from the others that you tried to bring Sasuke back, I'll have you decommissioned. Is that understood?" Naruto nodded, sliding away from her as she continued to glare at him with that scary expression. Just then, Ino and Shikamaru entered the room, with Sakura, Lee and Tenten behind them.

"Shikamaru, I trust you have been briefed by Tenten?" The Hokage asked. He nodded, and she said, "Then I'm putting you in charge of this mission. Bring Neji back as soon as possible." He nodded again and said, "With all due respect, it seems that Neji went AWOL. I don't think it will be possible to bring him back without force. What should we do if he does not come back willingly?"

Tsunade said, "This is why I'm sending such a substantial force to bring him back. I know that he will probably not listen to reason. Is that is the case, I want you to bring him back by force, but try not to injure him too much. Probably just hold him long enough for Ino to subdue his mind." Shikamaru nodded and said, "Let's move out."

"Hold on, Shikamaru," the Sannin said. She waited for the rest of them to leave and said, "Naruto believes that Sasuke and Itachi Uchiha will also try to enter the tournament. I want absolutely nothing to do with those two right now. So if you are spotted by them, retreat immediately, unless you are in a position to capture Sasuke. But avoid Itachi at all costs. Is that understood?" He said, "Crystal clear, Milady."

She said, "And make sure to reign in Naruto. He is too close to this mission to act with reason. Is he spots Sasuke, he will no doubt ignore your actions. So make sure to restrain him as well, if he does not listen to you."

Shikamaru said, "Understood." Then he left the office. Tsunade called a number and an ANBU member was in her office a few minutes later. She said, "Be a dear and fix my table for me, please?" Yamato sighed. Then she called up two other people in a conference call and said, "I want you to go to this International Dojutsu tournament and see what turns up." The two of them agreed and hung up. She sat back and sighed. Yamato said, "All done. Anything else?" She said, "No, that will be all. I don't know what I would do without your Wood Style, Yamato."

He saluted and vanished. Tsunade frowned, thinking, "I hope Naruto does not disobey orders. I sent him to reinforce the others to take Neji down. And he may as well be able to talk Neji out of this. But if they meet Sasuke? What then? Dammit!"

The six of them jumped through the trees until they reached a small spot in the woods. Then Shikamaru stopped and said, "Alright. Now we need to decide how to reach Neji fast. There are five different paths towards the village where the tournament is being held. And Neji already has got a big lead on us. Also, a group is generally slower than an individual. What do we do in such a situation?"

Sakura said, "I may have a way." Everyone looked at her and she said, "I have a Summoning Contract which could be useful here." Everyone looked at her, surprised, and she explained, "I asked Kakashi sensei to teach me the Summoning Jutsu and got a contract with his ninja hounds." Naruto said, "Wow! Good for you, Sakura!" She smiled, "Thanks, Naruto."

Sakura bloodied her left index finger with a kunai and spread the blood onto her other fingers. She said, "I, Inu, Tori, Saru, Hitsuji! Ninja Art: Summoning Jutsu!" She slammed her hand into the ground and cracked it slightly. A cloud of smoke rose up and revealed hazy three forms. As the smoke parted, they could see Pakkun along with two other hounds, Uhei, an orange dog, and Akino, a yellow hound wearing sunglasses.

"Hey Pakkun, hey guys," Sakura said, "I need your help. We are on a mission to find Neji Hyuga and require you to smell his scent and lead us to his path. Can you help us?" Pakkun nodded and said, "Of course I can. We have the best noses out of the Inuzuka clan. Give me a minute."

Sakura nodded. He turned around and barked a few times. The other hounds spread out, searching and a couple of minutes later, Akino barked. Pakkun went up to him and confirmed the smell. "He went this way," Pakkun said. It was the fourth path, and the most difficult one. Sakura thanked him and the other hounds for their help and dismissed them.

The team resumed their run and followed the path until a kunai struck Naruto in the left bicep. He pulled it out and looked at where it had come from, even as his wound started closing. He saw that he had triggered a trap and that the kunai had been released from there. He said, "Looks like Neji set up traps." Everyone's expressions hardened and Tenten looked at the weapon. She said, "No. This is not Neji's."

Everyone stared at her and she explained, "Neji only uses weapons which I have given him. And I mark each and every weapon which I buy with a small seal which only I can remove. It is mostly used to find my weapons, so I don't need to buy them all over again. And if they are damaged, I remove the seal and give them to be recycled. There is no seal on this. It cannot be his." They nodded, their expressions relaxing. They continued along the path until sundown, when they stopped to take a break for the night. Naruto and Tenten wanted to continue but Shikamaru said, "Neji will not travel through the night. He will want to conserve his strength for the tournament. And it is not wise to move through the night, when our visibility will be limited."

They set up camp in a small clearing, and Ino and Sakura went to find water. Ino said, "Hey Naruto, can you lend us a couple of Shadow Clones? It will make searching much easier." Naruto immediately split off three Shadow Clones, before sheepishly saying, "Ask for two, get one free." They laughed slightly, before heading off.

The five of them found a small stream a few meters out from the clearing, and gathered water, before Sakura told the clones to take the bottles back. Ino looked at her curiously, but didn't say anything. The clones jogged off and Sakura turned towards Ino, with a weird look in her eyes. She said, "Ino, is anything going on between you and Naruto?"

Ino looked at her with a straight face and said, "Why would you think such a thing, forehead?" Sakura frowned at the old nickname before saying, "I saw you getting pretty close to him during our beach trip. What's up with you all of a sudden?" Ino said, with a sad expression on her face, "The day when I saw the Kyuubi take control of Naruto's body, I suddenly realized the reason why Naruto had been treated so harshly in his childhood. At that moment, I decided to become Naruto's friend. So that's why I was spending time with him at the beach. I'm pretty sure you know what I mean, having seen the atrocities committed against him yourself."

Sakura nodded, not entirely convinced, but let the matter slide. They walked back to the clearing, Ino thinking back to the conversation they had had, when they reached back home from the beach mission.

_"Ino, I want to talk to you about something." Naruto had said, as they sat to watch some TV. Ino looked at him and asked, "Anything wrong, Naruto-kun?" Naruto nodded, saying, "I don't think we should reveal our relationship to anyone just yet. I feel we should wait it out for a little while." Ino asked, "Anything bothering you, Naruto?" He said, "I just moved in some time back. If we start going out so soon in public, people may talk. Also, I don't want Sakura to know so fast." Ino nodded._

Ino thought, "But forehead has begun noticing. I'll have to talk about this with Naruto." They reached back to the camp, where Shikamaru and Naruto had begun cooking food, while Lee and Tenten were checking their weapons. They all had their food and then turned in, keeping one person out every hour in the order of Shikamaru, Tenten, Naruto, Sakura, Ino and Lee.

Six hours later, all of them were awake, and after a quick wash in the nearby stream, they were back to chasing Neji. They path had started getting rockier, with lesser trees to jump through. However, they managed to cling to the rocks and made their way through to the village where the tournament was to be held. The entire place was like a ghost town, with no one around, anywhere.

Ino said, "I've been here before. This used to be a popular tourist destination some years ago, and was well known for its natural hot springs." Shikamaru asked, "What happened to it, then?" She replied, "An earthquake struck this place and caused something to happen, which left all the hot springs drying. And without their springs, no one could earn money. So people started leaving the place and it eventually became a ghost town."

Naruto froze. "Did…did you say gh…gh…ghost town, Ino?" Everyone looked back at him with incredulous expressions on their faces. Sakura groaned and said, "For the last time, Naruto, there are no such things as ghosts! Ino meant that no one lives in this town anymore." Naruto didn't seem convinced, "Then why is someone organizing a tournament in a godforsaken place like this?" he demanded. Shikamaru replied, "In order to bring money back and re-establish this town."

Everyone nodded and Naruto looked around nervously. Then he seemed to be satisfied and they started walking again. Just then, a quartet of kunai were launched towards them. Lee and Sakura quickly took out two kunai of their own and knocked the incoming kunai out of their paths. They looked at their attackers and Naruto paled.

The attackers were shinobi who were pale grey in colour. They seemed to be wearing uniforms and headbands of various different villages and moved as though they were being guided. Naruto shuddered, "Zombies." Sakura snorted and said, "They are no such things as zombies as well, Naruto. They have got to be puppets. Which means that the puppeteer must be nearby."

Shikamaru nodded and immediately trapped one of the advancing puppet ninjas with his Shadow Possession Jutsu. Ino quickly performed her mind Transfer Jutsu and cried out in pain as she was forced back into her body. Shikamaru looked at her, confused, and she said, "There was a huge force in there, like a demon. It looked at me and then almost bit me in half. I just managed to escape. But in the brief time I saw, there seemed to be no mind of the shinobi whose mind I entered. There were also no chakra strings attached to it. There was only a chakra supply, which was ever diminishing at a very slow rate."

Sakura wondered out loud, "So they are zombies, then? But how can it be?" Naruto froze again, before looking at his foes with a determined gaze. "If there is a demon in the mind which Ino saw, then maybe these shinobi are dead and being possessed by the demon. Shikamaru, capture another shinobi and Ino, enter that one's mind. If you see the same thing, we can confirm whether it is mind control."

Everyone stared at him for a moment, astonished by his thinking, before launching into action. A few seconds later, Ino fell on her butt again, and said, "Yeah, it is definitely a demon presence in there. I could sense it better this time, having already sensed it once. It is controlling the shinobi with its mind. But to control so many at once? I have never heard of such a jutsu before!"

Shikamaru said, "If it is a demon, it probably has this power naturally. But right now, all we can do is fight these puppets off." Everyone nodded, Sakura signing and saying, "Weapon Summoning Jutsu!" Her battle axe fell into her right hand and she readied herself. At the same time, Naruto drew out a kunai, and Ino did the same. Shikamaru kept his hands together and waited for an opportunity to strike. Lee removed his weights from his limbs and assembled them into a quarterstaff, while Tenten removed two scrolls from her belt and held them in each of her hands.

As though they received a sudden signal, all the deceased shinobi ran towards the Leaf Ninja. The six of them braced for the attack. Naruto closed the distance between the first two zombies, with a Rasengan in his right hand and his kunai in his left. Meanwhile, Lee started picking off zombies with his staff. Sakura punched a zombie wearing a star village headband into a group of others who stumbled over and fell.

Naruto used his Rasengan and sent another one spiraling into the group which Sakura had just fell. The zombies paused, before looking at the ninjas and then moving towards them more cautiously. They started planning their moves, not giving the Leaf ninjas any time to react. However, Sakura threw her battle axe and bisected two of the zombies.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto intoned and twenty clones appeared in front of him, already in pairs, and a few seconds later, ten shouts of, "Odama Rasengan!" filled the air. But even more of the deceased corpses started making their way into the battle. Tenten was using her weapons sparingly because they didn't seem to have any effect on the enemies.

The Leaf ninjas were tough, but not unstoppable. After a few more minutes, Shikamaru realized that they were losing. He started formulating a plan, but couldn't come up with anything significantly workable. He looked up to see Sakura take a hit and go down. Naruto leapt in front of her and took a kunai to his right leg in order to protect her. Shikamaru thought, "My Shadow jutsus don't work on them, apart from the Shadow Possession. They aren't alive, so they can't be killed. Our only hope is to finish off the demon controlling them. But where is he?"

As they were being driven back, the six of them looked up at a shadow which had suddenly shown up next to them. They saw Sasuke standing with his sword out. Then Neji leapt out of nowhere and stood next to him. Naruto yelled, "Are you just gonna stand there or are you gonna help out?" They didn't say a word; however, they instantly leaped into the crowd of zombies and started taking them out. But as Sasuke passed Sakura, he lightly tapped her in the head with the hilt of his sword. She stared at him before tipping over. He did the same with Shikamaru, while Neji disabled Ino and Tenten. Lee swung his quarterstaff towards Neji, but the Hyuga dodged it and Sasuke took out Lee from behind.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING, SASUKE-TEME!" Naruto roared and tried to get to him, but the zombies were fast and he was getting tired. As he turned towards Sasuke, a zombie tackled him and then punched him in the head repeatedly until he fell unconscious.

Naruto woke up, shaking his head groggily. He seemed to be in a house of some sort. He looked around, and realized that he was chained to a chair. He then looked around again, seeing that he was sitting at a table, with everyone chained to similar chairs. The table in front of them was filled with delicious looking food.

Lee groaned as he got up. Naruto said, "Lee! Hey LEE!" Lee looked at him and said, "Naruto! Are you okay?" Naruto nodded, and just then, Tenten and Ino shook their heads as they rubbed the spots where Neji had hit them. Naruto said, "Now only if we could wake Shikamaru and Sakura, we could get out of here." Both of them looked up and sighed. "We ARE awake, you blithering idiot! It's called information gathering, you know? Playing possum?" Sakura said, while Shikamaru nodded lazily.

"Well, it seems that everyone is finally awake," said a smooth voice from the background. Everyone looked around them and Naruto said, "You may as well come out, demon!" Everyone stared at Naruto before hearing footsteps and turning around to see the newcomer.

He was around 8 feet tall, a pale reddish color, and seemingly human, but had three long fingers on each hand, and very pointed long ears, along with a long face. But most importantly, his eyes were white in the center and became red as they went to the corners, where three tomoe were placed. He said, "It was nice of you to come."

Naruto smirked and said, "Nice of you to ask so kindly." The demon smiled at him and said, "Ah. You are bold. I wonder how bold you will be after I'm done with you. How did you know that I'm a demon, boy?" He said, "Ino tried to control one of the zombie's minds and said she got thrown out by a demonic presence." He paused, before saying, "Also, I can smell you."

The demon looked at him in curiosity before saying, "Interesting. Oh well. We might as well get started. So, how famished are you guys?" Everyone stared at him incredulously and he said, "Being immortal is not really a boon, you know. Just doing nothing can be so frustrating that I can't begin to tell you the boredom it brings with itself. So I capture humans, have dinner with them, and discuss the news of the world outside. Before I take their blood and kill them, of course."

He said, "So shall we have dinner?" Naruto suddenly roared, "WHAT ARE YOU PLAYING AT HERE!" The demon looked faintly surprised at the outburst and said, "It is called being polite. I take it you don't know how to honor a host?" Sakura smiled sweetly at him, saying, "No, he doesn't. He won't know manners if they come and punch him in the face. We'll play by your rules." Everyone turned to look at her incredulously then, but she simply nodded. The demon said, "You seem to be more calm and thoughtful than your friend here. Very well. Sasuke!" He called out.

Sasuke came out from the shadows behind the demon. The demon said, "Will you please open the right hand chains of my guests and let them have dinner?" Sasuke obliged, opening their chains. Naruto immediately got up, trying to free his left hand, but a stare from Sakura made him sit again. He smiled sickly at the demon and said, "What's for eats?"

The demon said, "Everything you see on the table. Let's talk and eat at the same time. You may also try to escape in any way possible. After that, we shall play a game." Everyone looked at the demon as though he was crazy. Suddenly, Naruto felt a growl in his psyche and went to the fox. Kyuubi looked back at him, and growled, "**If only I was free, I would tear that Doraku apart!"**

**Author's Note: **Hey guys, here's another chapter for you. I've had bad luck this entire week because of bad weather in my area. That's why my internet has been going on and off all the time. Sorry for the short chapter, but I'm building up the content for the next chapter. Please review and as usual, Happy Reading!


	14. Chapter 14:Escaping Doraku!

**Chapter 14: Escaping Doraku!**

Naruto looked up at the fox and said, "Doraku? Is that the demon's name, who is outside?" The Kyuubi looked at him and nodded, before saying angrily, "**Get out of here, boy! I don't want to see your face!**" He sent a huge wave of chakra at Naruto, which propelled him out of his psyche and brought him back into the normal world. He looked at everyone else, who had started eating. He started eating too, and was slightly surprised that the food was extremely tasty and delicious.

As they ate, Doraku asked them questions about politics, about their villages and whether there was any conflict outside in the world. After they finished eating, he sighed and said, "Well, it's been fun talking to you guys. I see all of you tried to pick your locks with your forks at one time or the another. Naruto even tried using his spoon. But you have been unable to escape, so I guess that it is time for me to take your blood."

Lee said, "You're a vampire?" Naruto replied, "He's not a vampire. He's a demon that goes by the name of Doraku." The demon looked back at him, greatly surprised and said, "Interesting. And how do you know this?" Naruto ignored him. The demon looked at the rest of them and said, "I am indeed Doraku, a demon of the Blood Taster tribe. Although my tribe may be the source of the human fantasy of vampires."

"I have the ability to absorb the powers of any shinobi or kunoichi simply by taking a few drops of their blood." Naruto nodded and said, "That's how you gained the Byakugan and the Sharingan." The demon agreed, saying, "Very astute. I see that you are quite intelligent." Sakura snorted and Doraku looked back at her, saying, "You think something's funny?" She didn't reply and he took it as her fear for him. Inside, she was silently having a fit of laughter, 'Naruto and intelligent?'

Doraku stood near Lee and then bent over him, putting his mouth to Lee's neck and drawing out a small trickle of blood. He tasted it and then spat it out of his mouth, "Impossible. This boy has nothing but TaiJutsu. His chakra is so stunted that even I cannot access it. He is worthless to me." Lee smirked at him, receiving a back handed slap as a reply. Doraku moved forward to Tenten and took her blood as well. He again spat it out saying, "What is this? Another person with almost no NinJutsu, and needing weapons for the few that she knows? How unbecoming of a ninja!" Tenten glared at him but he had already moved on to Sakura. He took her blood as well and said, "My, my. Such raw power and amazing medical NinJutsu and chakra control as well! What a wonderful discovery for me! Go and stand next to Sasuke." She went and stood next to Sasuke mutely as he went over to Shikamaru. He took some of the lazy ninja's blood and then suddenly stumbled a bit. He looked at the ninja angrily, "How can you be so lazy? I almost fell asleep after I bit you right now! But still, it's not a big loss, considering your Shadow Jutsu abilities. Not bad at all." Shikamaru got up, and stood next to Neji.

Doraku turned and stalked over to Naruto, saying, "Now for the one who already knows me. Let's see what you have to offer." He took some of Naruto's blood and then cringed, "You have a demon inside of you. No wonder you knew who I am. You are as worthless to me as Lee is." Then the Kyuubi growled, "**You may want to rethink that sentence, Doraku." **Doraku grinned and said, "Oh, Kyuubi. Angry as always, are you?"

Naruto gaped in amazement at Doraku and said, "Wait, you heard that?" Doraku scoffed and replied, "Of course, I did. Your blood acts as a medium and allows me to communicate with the Kyuubi."

"**Why don't you let me out, Doraku? For old times' sake.**" Doraku smiled and said, "Much as I would like that, I don't think it would be safe for my health to do that." The Kyuubi growled and Doraku spat Naruto's blood out as well. He turned over to Ino.

Doraku grinned at her lecherously, and then said, "Ah. Such a beautiful young body. I think I shall keep you personally for pleasuring me later on." Ino cringed as he leaned over her, touching her breasts as he put his mouth to her neck. He drew out some blood and his eyes shot up in amazement. "Such exquisite chakra control! And the ability to control minds as well. Wonderful. Kindly go and stand next to Sakura." Ino got up and stood next to Sakura.

Doraku said, "Now, let's play a game. I was going for something else, but seeing as three of you are free, I'm going to change it a little bit. Naruto, Tenten and Lee. The three of you are free to escape. Your gear is all kept at the entrance of the house. Please ensure that you do not take anybody else's gear, as that would be unfair. I will give you one minute to run away, hide or do anything that comes to your mind, short of attacking me, that is. After that, I will send the five of them after you to capture you. If they capture you, game over. If you escape them, I will give two of them back to you, the choice being yours."

The three awake ninjas ran out of the room. They reached their gear and quickly strapped on whatever they needed. Then they ran outside the house. The found themselves in a cave which had a narrow path. They ran into the path. A few seconds later, they reached a fork. Naruto said, "You guys go left. I'll take the right." They nodded, knowing that Naruto had clones to act as help. They went left and Naruto took off on his path.

As one minute got over, Doraku said, "Go. Bring Naruto, Tenten and Lee to me." He activated his stolen Byakugan as they went. As the five of the ninjas reached the fork, they all took the right fork. "Stop," Doraku said. They froze in place. He said, "Interesting as though it may seem, all of you cannot go after Naruto. Sasuke and Ino, go after Naruto. Shikamaru, Sakura and Neji, go after Lee and Tenten."

The ninjas split off. Doraku watched them with his Byakugan, knowing that they could not escape his vision unless they got out of the maze where he lived. The Byakugan was far more powerful under his influence than under Neji's influence and he used it to his full advantage. He saw Naruto running through the caves randomly and sniggered.

Naruto turned a right turn and stumbled straight into Lee and Tenten. They looked at each other and instinctively turned to the other path which Naruto had not taken. As they were about to get to another fork, the five enslaved ninjas reached them and flung several kunai at the three free ninjas. Naruto and Lee dodged the kunai and Tenten threw some of her own kunai, which splintered the ones thrown at them and stuck themselves into Sakura, Shikamaru and Neji's bodies. The captured ninjas pulled out the kunai and Sakura healed the wounds of all three of them. But until then, Naruto and Lee had decided that two on one and three on two is better than five on three, and had split up again.

Doraku split them off again, and this time Lee and Tenten reached a dead end where Sakura, Neji and Shikamaru caught up to them. Lee assembled his quarterstaff and waited for them to attack. Neji charged at him with his fingers laced with chakra. Lee quickly dodged him and swung his quarterstaff sideways into Neji's stomach. It was a weak attack and shouldn't have worked; but Neji was slow to dodge and still got hit with the staff at the edge of his right hip. Lee frowned; he knew that Neji was much faster than that. Meanwhile, Tenten was dodging Sakura's punches, knowing that a single one could seriously injure her. Shikamaru waited back, trying to get one of them into his shadows.

Sasuke and Ino stopped at a split in the cave, where there were three paths to follow. However, each of them had footprints running down them. Both of them stopped, confused and Doraku, getting annoyed, asked, "Well? Where'd he go?" Sasuke said simply, "No way of telling. Naruto is too random." Doraku was about to tell him something when he noticed a skeleton clinging to the wall behind the two of them. Naruto leapt out of his chameleon tarp and threw a quartet of shuriken at Sasuke. Sasuke turned back to look at them and his Sharingan saw the path and trajectory of each of them. He quickly dodged two, while countering the others with his own shuriken.

Ino, meanwhile, was gathering her chakra in a jutsu, but Naruto forced her to stop by throwing a kunai at her as well. As he fought Sasuke, he said, "Ino, I know you're in there, somewhere. You're supposed to be the mind control specialist, so how did you allow someone else to gain control of your own mind?" Ino paused, confused for a second, before she went back to blankly trying to attack him.

Naruto continued, "You've given me something so precious, Ino, that I will do whatever it takes to protect it. I won't lose you, Ino. I will never lose you." Ino stopped in the middle of a snap kick and smirked at him, saying, "That was the cheesiest thing I have ever heard from you, Naruto."

"INO!" Naruto yelled with joy and almost got beheaded by Sasuke. He turned and the couple retreated.

As Lee and Tenten continued to hold off the three of their allies, Naruto's voice crackled on Lee's radio. "Lee, I got back Ino. It seems that making them emotional gets them back into control. Try it on your end." Lee nodded, before realizing that Naruto couldn't see him and said, "Thank you for the advice, Naruto. I will try it out."

Doraku was livid. How had Ino got out of his control? He could still taste Ino's blood on his tongue. But she didn't respond to him anymore. What had the boy done to her? Surely his words alone couldn't have stirred her back to consciousness. Rubbish; his power was absolute. He looked at the rest of the battle in curiosity and sent Shikamaru to reinforce Sasuke; he couldn't allow his strongest servant to get overpowered.

Naruto and Ino double teamed Sasuke, Naruto frowning the entire time. He knew Sasuke enough to understand that something was wrong with Sasuke's movements. He could see that Sasuke was not dodging or avoiding their attacks as fast as he should have and was moving carefully, as though he had a broken rib or something of the sort.

Just then, Ino cried out as she was paralyzed, and Naruto turned around to see Shikamaru holding his hands together, his shadow stretching outwards to Ino. He flung a kunai straight at Shikamaru's hands and forced the normally apathetic ninja to separate his hands, freeing Ino in the process. Just then, Naruto took a slight cut to his left forearm from Sasuke's sword and he said, "Ino, take care of Shikamaru. I'll handle Sasuke. Try to get him emotional."

Ino grumbled, "Easier said than done, Naruto. Shikamaru has the emotional range of a teaspoon." Naruto grinned slightly and said, "Yeah, it's pretty much the same with this loser," and pointed to Sasuke. Sasuke merely swung his sword a little harder towards Naruto. Naruto continued, "Of course, Sasuke could never have resisted the demon. He is the biggest joke of the Uchiha clan. He is such a loser that his brother, who betrayed the entire clan, didn't make any effort to kill him. He left him alive, knowing that the brat was worthless."

He continued, "He left the village to train with a person who himself didn't have the power to defeat Itachi. Or didn't Orochimaru tell you that, Sasuke-teme?"

Sasuke roared, "I'M GONNA KILL YOU!" and started fighting much faster than he had previously. Naruto smirked and said, "So, you're finally back, eh, Sasuke?" Sasuke pointed his sword at Naruto and said, "I finally get to kill you, dobe." Doraku was practically out of control with anger. "They managed to take back Sasuke. They took away my strongest servant. How? How is this possible?"

Meanwhile, Lee was busy prodding Sakura, "Is this the same Sakura who overcame Ino Yamanaka's Mind Transfer Jutsu on her own? Is this the same kunoichi who stood between the Chidori and the Rasengan? I can't believe that you are allowing someone else to control you, of all people, Sakura." Sakura shifted her attacks from Tenten towards Lee. Tenten dodged Neji's attacks and said, "The Neji I know would never be controlled in such a manner. He would never harm me like this. The Neji I know is a caring and loving person, hard on the outside, but soft and sweet on the inside. I love you, Neji, and I will not let you be taken away from me, ever in my life."

Sakura suddenly lurched as Lee said, "If you can't even control yourself, then I guess Ino wins." Sakura stumbled again as she shouted, "WHAT? No way I'm gonna let that pig win…" she trailed off, confused and said, "Lee? What just happened?" Lee smiled at her and turned on his radio. "Naruto, I got back Sakura. Now we will try to go after Neji." He didn't get any answer. He looked at Tenten in worry, who signed to him, "We must get Neji back as soon as possible and then hurry and find Naruto."

"Sakura too? What is this devilry?" Doraku thought as he considered his options. He couldn't lose Neji, not now that he had no more of the strong ones under his control. He called, "Neji, come back right now." He kept Shikamaru busy, trying to get someone else, presumably Sasuke, under his Shadow Possession. But Lee and Tenten were not letting Neji escape anymore.

Lee said, "I do not believe that my lifelong rival would be prone to such a mind control. Is this the same person who was able to take down Kidomaru? The only person to ever find your blind spot? Even Hinata is much better than you. And to think that you thought yourself the strongest member of your clan. I do not think that we need you; our team is more than capable of functioning without you. So why stay?"

"Why indeed?" came Neji's reply and both Lee and Tenten shouted in delight, "Neji!" and Tenten rushed to hug him. He hugged her back before glaring at Lee and saying, "So there I was, enslaved by a demon, and the next thing I know, my best friend is insulting me." Lee shook his head and said, "It was necessary to generate an emotional response from you in order to revive you." Neji nodded, and said, "We should get going now."

Doraku, meanwhile, had turned a dark red in color. His anger was too great to be contained any more. "I will CRUSH them!" he roared and went off in pursuit of the ninjas.

Naruto and Ino fought off Sasuke and Shikamaru respectively. Naruto said, "Come on, Sasuke. Do you want to escape this place or not? By my guess, Doraku will be angry that we managed to bring you back and he will be coming for us." Sasuke paused, and then said with an annoyed look, "Fine. We have a truce until we get out of here." All of them looked at Shikamaru, who suddenly stopped attacking Ino. He suddenly stared at them and said, "Well, that was a drag." They all stared incredulously at him, until Ino smacked him in the head, saying, "You were with us the entire time, weren't you, BAKA!" He shook his head, partly to say no, and partly to stop the sudden ringing in it. He said, "I was in my psyche, sleeping. I just woke up to find myself attacking you. So I stopped immediately."

All of them ran towards the different paths which they had found, and somehow managed to run into each other again. They asked Sasuke and Neji what happened. Sasuke refused to talk; but Neji said, "I was on my way to the Dojutsu tournament when I was suddenly attacked by Sasuke here. I was astonished to find that his movements were off; there was no other word for it. In the fight, I managed to break a few ribs of his, after which he retreated and a number of deceased puppet corpses attacked me."

"Just call them zombies, it's much easier that way," Sakura said. Neji nodded, saying, "The zombies were unskilled but numerous. Once it became clear to me that I was not going to win, I pretended to lose consciousness in order to find some information." Sakura smirked and said, "Would you mind teaching Naruto that some time?" Naruto glared at her and Neji continued, "Then I woke up to find Lee insulting me, after which I realized that I had regained control and so we came to find you guys."

"Wait a minute," Shikamaru said, "If you were awake when you came in, does that mean that you know the way out?" Neji smirked, saying, "Of course I do." Shikamaru said, "Then what are we waiting for?" As they ran out towards the exit, they found their path blocked by a wall. As Naruto gathered chakra in his hands to form a Rasengan, he was shocked to find Doraku sliding through the wall. Nevertheless, he charged forward with the Rasengan and Doraku easily avoided the attack while he himself launched a punch at Naruto with bone shattering strength.

Naruto flew back into the wall behind him, and fell with a thud. He got up again, stretching his back, and got back. Everyone looked at Doraku warily and he said, "Sakura's jutsu is much stronger than she realizes. I can use it to make my body as strong as steel." Then he vanished, appearing next to Tenten. He picked up Tenten by her uniform and his right eye widened, turning completely into the Mangekyo Sharingan, and he intoned, "Tsukuyomi." A heartbeat later, Tenten whimpered softly and he let her go, as she fell to the ground.

Sasuke immediately shunshined to the weapons master as Doraku retreated, and activated his own Mangekyo Sharingan. He felt everyone's eyes on him but he looked Tenten in the eye and intoned, "Tsukuyomi." Everyone looked at him, shocked, and Neji started to charge at him, when Tenten slowly got up and said, "That was…terrible." Everyone was stunned. Had Sasuke somehow helped Tenten? Sasuke answered their unasked question, saying, "I used my Tsukuyomi to reverse the effect of the demon's Tsukuyomi. We need all the help we can get."

They nodded and looked at Doraku, who was not showing it, but was slightly panting, having used quite some chakra to emulate the Tsukuyomi. His eyes were now completely white, with veins bulging around the edges. He charged at Neji and said, "Eight Trigrams: Two Palms, Four Palms, Eight Palms, Sixteen Palms, Thirty Two Palms!" However, Neji was much faster than Doraku, having used the jutsu hundreds of times before. He had, at the same time as Doraku, created his jutsu seal and intoned at the same time, "Eight Trigrams: Two Palms, Four Palms, Eight Palms, Sixteen Palms, Thirty Two Palms, Sixty Four Palms!"

His jutsu did what Doraku's did not; until Doraku's jutsu had ended, Neji had simply blocked each attempt of Doraku to overload his chakra points, and he had, in the end, blocked sixty four of Doraku's chakra points. Doraku grimaced; knowing that he had picked the wrong person to use that jutsu on. He staggered back a little, feeling each and every hit of Neji's like a mini sword on his body.

"That kind of stung," he downplayed the attack, but Neji smirked, seeing the damage he had inflicted and nodded at Lee, who suddenly kicked Doraku in the ribs, sending him flying into the air, but Lee was unable to follow up with the Leaf Whirlwind, due to the low roof. Doraku, however was slammed into the roof, and clung to the ceiling like a lizard. He said, "You should not have done that."

Suddenly, Neji's eyes picked out some chakra points in Doraku's body, which were of a different color than his normal chakra points. He nodded at Tenten and said, "Kariname Jutsu." Suddenly, Tenten was observing herself through Neji's eyes. She could see all around herself as well, and could see the chakra supply of each person around. She saw what Neji had seen, and he signed, "I want you to aim at those specific points. See what happens." Meanwhile, Ino and Naruto had engaged Doraku in TaiJutsu while upside down on the roof. Doraku dropped down to the ground, straightening himself as he fell, and started signing, but Tenten's kunai caught him straight in the shoulder, which caused a fountain of blood to gush out. Everyone frowned; the shoulder was not really a point where so much blood gathered, so why would this point hold so much blood? Unless…

"Everyone," Neji said, "There are some points on Doraku's body which I can see. They seem to be holding the blood of all the victims he has ever sucked blood from. If we can hit every point, then we can weaken him. Everyone keep him engaged." Doraku laughed loudly and said, "Do you really expect me to fall for your plan now that you've stated it out yourself? Ice Style: Crystal Ice Mirrors!"

Several ice mirrors formed around Naruto and Sasuke, and Doraku suddenly appeared inside them. Naruto said angrily, "Did you suck the blood from Haku's corpse as well?" Doraku smirked and said, "I know no Haku. And blood taken from a corpse does not work as well. I have had this Bloodline Trait with me for the past century. Although I heard that it was extinguished twenty years ago. So how do you know about it?" Neither of the two answered him.

Suddenly, Sasuke signed so fast that even Doraku couldn't follow them, "Fire Style: Grand Fireball Jutsu!" A huge ball of flames rushed towards the ice mirrors and as Sasuke's breath ended, so did the flames. He saw that the ice mirrors were almost unaffected, if not for the slight condensation around the edges of the mirrors. Naruto said testily, "It didn't work against Haku, why do you think it would work against him?" Sasuke shot back, "I don't see you trying anything." He then continued, "Besides, this demon's technique is less powerful than Haku's. See the slight water on the edges of the mirrors?"

Naruto looked at it and then nodded. Just then Doraku appeared in one of the mirrors and flung some kunai at the two of them. They dodged and Naruto said, "Back to back then?" Sasuke nodded almost imperceptibly and they aligned backs. Naruto said quietly, "I'll try to blow a hole out of here with my Rasengan, and you can dart out of it." Sasuke nodded again, saying, "I'll keep him busy with my Phoenix Flower Barrage."

Naruto formed a Rasengan in his left hand and Sasuke signed for the Phoenix Flower Barrage Jutsu. As Naruto rushed towards a mirror, however, Doraku darted into another mirror and flung a few more kunai towards Sasuke's back. Naruto darted back and used the Rasengan to get rid of the kunai. He aligned his back to Sasuke and said, "Slight problem with that plan. It leaves your back exposed. We need another distraction."

Sasuke grinned; he removed a pot of oil from his leg pouch and smashed it into the ice mirror in front of him, then he signed, "Fire Style: Grand Fireball Jutsu!" The fireball came back from his mouth, but this time, it hit the oil, causing a dense smoke to erupt from it. Naruto bent low, coughing at the sudden heat and smoke. Sasuke yelled, "Now, Naruto!" Naruto rushed to one of the mirrors, and while Doraku couldn't see, he blasted the mirror with a Rasengan. Sasuke's Sharingan saw through the smoke and he darted out of the hole Naruto had just made. He quickly activated his Chidori without any hand signs, and then ran in a circle outside the mirrors, destroying the base mirrors.

Without the base, the other mirrors crashed and revealed Doraku, who threw a punch at Naruto. But Naruto ducked and hopped back. The rest of them looked relieved to see that Naruto was safe. Doraku said, "That was impressive teamwork. I didn't know that you two would be able to co-ordinate an attack so well." Naruto smirked and Sasuke just looked at Doraku impassively.

Just then, Ino attempted to Mind Transfer into the demon, and he snorted as he pushed her spirit outside his body. She cried out as she returned to her body, and he said, "I don't need that distraction trying to get into my mind all the time. Lightning Style: Lightning Trident Jutsu!" He sent of a trident of energy at Ino which struck her squarely in her stomach, cutting it apart in three separate places. Naruto froze; time seems to stop as he looked from Doraku to Ino and back to Doraku. "YOU GOD-DAMNED BASTARD!" he yelled. Inside his psyche, he noticed the Kyuubi growling as well; he hadn't felt it's rage before, but now he could sense it.

"**Naruto, just this time, I will give you my chakra without my influence. Just make sure you kill this teme." **the Kyuubi growled. Naruto looked at the Kyuubi with a furious expression but said in a calm voice, "Humans cannot kill demons. But I can make him wish I could." The Kyuubi growled with satisfaction and Naruto returned to the surface.

Neji almost gasped as he saw two different chakras combining inside of Naruto, creating an almost purple chakra inside his body. Suddenly Naruto transformed. He suddenly turned golden in color and and seemed to be flickering at the edges. His eyes turned golden yellow, with dark orange pupils, and his uniform extended down into a cloak. Four golden tails made of chakra lashed out behind him. He looked at Doraku with a quite rage, and then growled, "Sakura, heal Ino." Doraku laughed, "A shape shifting technique? You think that will help yo…" His eyes widened as Naruto disappeared from his eyes and suddenly punched him in the stomach. Doraku wheezed in discomfort and flew back into the wall which he had first emerged from. The entire wall cracked and Doraku slowly stood, clutching his stomach, with a hint of fear in his eyes. Naruto suddenly found that he could sense the different bloods inside Doraku and took out a kunai. Faster than the eye could see, he reached Doraku and plunged the kunai into three different places, Doraku's let bicep, right thigh, and left shoulder, seemingly in one second. Doraku suddenly lost his Byakugan and Sharingan, and from the looks of it, Haku's Kekkei Genkai as well.

Naruto again punched Doraku in the stomach and all the blood Doraku was holding in his mouth fell out as well. He lost Sakura's strength as well as Shikamaru and Ino's abilities. He felt himself weaken; and turned to see Naruto holding a Wind Rasengan in his left hand and a Rasengan in each of his chakra tails, which he plunged into Doraku's body. The Wind Rasengan tore through the stomach of Doraku and created a huge hole, which bled rapidly, until it was left dry. At the same time, the four normal Rasengans created holes in each of Doraku's limbs, in each of his forearms and thighs.

Finally, Naruto looked at him and Doraku wheezed, "You can't kill me, no matter how much you try. I will regain all my powers, come to your village and drink the blood of every person there." Naruto signed, "Wind Style: Cyclone Spikes Barrage!" Huge amounts of sharpened wind chakra cones burst out from his hands and hit the ceiling. The stalactites which had been formed above fell down and Naruto picked some of them up. He then drilled each of the stalactites through each hole in Doraku's body. After that he used another barrage to break the wall that Doraku was pinned to, and collapse him underneath.

"Get out of that," Naruto growled. Just then, he lost the transformation and turned back to normal. He looked questioningly at the Kyuubi in his psyche and the Nine Tails replied, "**It was the first time that I have given you chakra willingly, so I was unable to provide too much. You were lucky that you didn't play around with him. Now get lost; tend to your mate.**" Naruto remembered Ino, and jumped back into the normal world. He looked at Sakura, whose hands were still glowing, focused on Ino's stomach. She looked up at him with tears running down her eyes, and said, "I'm sorry, Naruto… There was nothing I could do..."


	15. Chapter 15: Who Naruto Valued More

**Chapter 15: Who Naruto Valued More than His Life**

Naruto was next to Sakura in a second. As he looked at the holes in Ino's stomach, he saw her chest briefly rise. "Sakura? I thought you said…" he began, confused. Sakura shook her head, saying, "I'm using the Life Sustain Jutsu to keep her alive. But if I try to stop it and repair the damage, she'll bleed out before I can do anything. I've already given her all my plasma pills. And I'm running low on chakra too."

Naruto suddenly looked up with a weird look on his face. He said, "So you need blood, chakra and the Life Sustain Jutsu, right?" She nodded, looking at him in bewilderment. He said, "I can provide all of that." Everyone's eyes shot up at him with amazement.

"But you don't have the same blood group as Ino's," Sakura said, confused. Naruto nodded, "Let's start there. Ninja Art: Blood Type Reflect!" With that statement, he quickly took a drop of blood from Ino's stomach and pressed it to his tongue. He turned to Sakura and said uncomfortably, "Ok. Blood check."

He then signed and said, "Life Sustain Jutsu." His hands started glowing green like Sakura's and everyone stared at him, too stunned to speak. Naruto placed his hands on Ino's stomach, their glow much bigger than Sakura's. He said, "Start the transfusion." Sakura removed her hands from Ino's stomach, drew out two pins, a pipe and inserted one end into Naruto's right forearm. He inserted the other end in Ino's left forearm and started dragging out blood from Naruto's body into hers.

Naruto carefully removed his left hand from Ino's body and placed it on Sakura's shoulder, giving his chakra to her. Sakura's eyes dilated and she looked up at him in amazement, "Do you always have this much power, Naruto?" He growled, "No, I usually have much more. Now please hurry up." She quickly signed and said, "Ninja Arts: Cellular Retrace." Under he hands, Ino's internal organs started to repair themselves, or grow back where they were missing. Naruto kept up the Life Sustain Jutsu as Sakura worked on Ino's body. Under her jutsu, Ino's lower ribs grew back, along with her intestines. Her veins, capillaries and arteries reconnected and her skin started growing back over her toned abs.

Suddenly, Ino's head jerked up, her eyes looking around wildly. But Tenten was able to hold her head instantly and push it back down. She said, "You need to keep still, Ino." Ino looked at what was going on and forced her body to remain still. Sakura finished her jutsu as the skin reconnected together, closing what could have been a fatal injury. She sat down on her butt, exhausted.

"Thank you, Sakura, Naru…" Ino trailed off, as she saw where Naruto's still glowing hand was placed. It was firmly clasped under her ample left breast. She blushed and Sakura suddenly noticed it as well. "NARUTO!" she yelled and he hid his goofy grin as he looked at his hand and then at Sakura, saying, "I wasn't thinking about that, I swear, Sakura. I was fully focusing on my jutsus at the time."

Ino said, "It's okay, Sakura. I'm sure Naruto wouldn't do that on purpose, especially at this time. Right, Naruto? Naruto?" Naruto couldn't speak, as he fell onto his face in the dark cave.

Naruto slowly opened his eyes and looked up at the ceiling.

"Well, it's about time, knucklehead," came a familiar voice. He looked at his right to see the Fifth Hokage standing there. "Grandma Tsunade?" he asked groggily. "Where am I?" She came up to him and said, "At the hospital, of course. I thought you would recognize it by now. It's been five days since you passed out." Then her face turned angry, "Do you understand you incredibly lucky you were? Anyone else would have died from the effort. How could you do something so risky?" Naruto smiled slightly and said, "You know that I regenerate, Grandma. It's partly why the Pervy Sage taught me the Blood Type Reflect Jutsu."

She said, "You would have died, if it wasn't for Iruka and Anko. They found you at the village as Lee was carrying you back. Fortunately, Anko always carries a bag of plasma pills with her. It was barely enough to keep you alive till you were brought here."

Naruto asked, confused, "Anko and Iruka sensei?"

Tsunade replied, "I sent them two watch over the tournament, and report any unusual activities."

Naruto suddenly looked at her in worry. "What about Ino? How is she?"

Tsunade looked at him and said, "Perfectly fine. I checked her personally. If it wasn't for her uniform, I would never believe that she had three 4-inch holes in her stomach. What you and Sakura did was nothing short of a miracle. And if you ever do it again, I'll make sure to let you die! Understood?"

"Yes, Ma'am!"

"Then let's get back to business. When and how did you learn the Life Sustain Jutsu?" He chuckled, "When I was at my trip. You know which one." She nodded, and then said, "I almost forgot. I have some urgent matters to attend to. I must get going. Take care and I'll be back later to check on you. You have visitors." She left, closing the door behind her. Naruto already knew who his first visitor would be. Ino opened the door and came in. She wore a different outfit now, with a black top and skirt now, instead of purple. She also wore an orange belt which complemented her outfit rather nicely.

She crossed the room in two strides and kissed him straight on his mouth furiously. He lay on his bed, too surprised to speak, and then after she parted back, she said, "How could you?" He said, "What do you mean?" She said, "I spoke to Lady Tsunade during my checkup. She said that I should have been dead by now. She also told me that you nearly died. How could you put your life at risk for me?"

She leant forward and put her head on his chest, crying silently now. Naruto ran his fingers through her hair and said, "Remember when I said that I loved you more than my own life? That wasn't just a corny statement, ya know." Ino's eyes shot up, as she remembered the statement he had made on the night of the meteor shower. She said, "If you ever do it again, I'll never forgive you!"

He said, "I'll make sure that it never happens again in the first place." She smiled at him and he kissed her forehead. Just then, Sakura burst into the room and glared at the two of them. She said, "Ino! You don't need to give Naruto that kind of stimulation right now! And you, Naruto! How dare you take advantage of your situation right now?"

Ino glared back at her and said, "I'm at perfectly liberty to kiss and be kissed by anyone I want Sakura. I don't see why you need to interfere." Sakura looked stunned, as though she had been slapped and couldn't quite believe that it had happened. She said, "What do you mean, Ino?" Ino said, "I don't think it's important for you to know. I'll see you later, Naruto." She got up and went out of the room.

Sakura said, "What the hell was that about, Naruto?" Naruto said, "I think you just pissed Ino off." She looked at him, still annoyed, before her expression turned to one of worry and she said, "You idiot. Do you know how dangerous that was? I read about the jutsu you used to change your blood type. It is an A-Rank forbidden jutsu, causing increases heart rate, blood pressure and never to be used in an uncontrolled transfusion. You could have died, baka!"

Naruto replied, "I regenerate, you know. It was partly the reason why the Pervy Sage taught me the jutsu." Sakura said, "Well, we have orders to let you die if you ever use it again." He smiled weakly and said, "I know. But the question is; Will you do it?"

She said, "Like hell. I've already lost Sasuke, I'm not about to lose you. But be careful." Then she snorted, "Look who I'm talking to. You don't know how to be careful."

They spoke some more, Sakura telling him that Sasuke had disappeared during the healing. Then they had carried Naruto out of the cave, and had met Anko and Iruka while coming back. Iruka had carried him back the rest of the way. After some time, Sakura turned to leave. Lee came in and spoke some more, after which Kakashi came in.

"Are you hear to lecture me too?" Naruto said, his eyes narrowed.

"No," Kakashi said, grinning, "I think you've had enough of that from the Hokage, Sakura, Iruka, Anko and Ino. I was told to ask all of the ninjas on the team about the mission. You're the last person left to interview. So, what's your version of the story?"

Naruto recounted his story, in which he destroyed many more zombies, and dodged every attack of Sasuke, but Kakashi simply let that slide. He was after something else. Naruto nearly faltered at the point when Ino was attacked.

Kakashi said, "You can skip that. I already got a detailed version from the others. I want to know what happened next. Neji said that the two chakras inside of you mixed." Naruto turned thoughtful and said, "Yeah. The Kyuubi allowed me to use his chakra for free. I think it was because he was as mad at Doraku as I was. So he told me that he wouldn't influence me, but would give me his chakra just to defeat Doraku."

Kakashi said, "And then Neji reported that you transformed." Naruto nodded, saying, "I turned golden in color. And I felt so much stronger than usual. I was able to create the Wind Rasengan in one hand without any clones." Kakashi's eye widened as he considered that. Naruto continued, "Also, some chakra extensions came out from my back. They seemed to function like limbs of their own and were able to create Rasengans of their own too."

Kakashi looked at him, stunned, as he digested that information. Naruto told him the rest of the tale, of his one sided fight with Doraku and then healing Ino. Kakashi asked him a few more questions and then left. Just then, Inoichi Yamanaka came in and Naruto paled slightly. Inoichi was well known for his bad temper.

Inoichi said, "I owe you a debt that I can never repay. There is something that I have been forbidden to tell you, but you have brought my daughter back from the dead. It is more than enough for me to tell you this. It is about your mother." Naruto's eyes widened. Inoichi said, "Although I didn't know about your father, I did know your mother quite well. Her name was Kushina Uzumaki. She was a Genin of the Hidden Leaf, but her skills rivaled the three Sannin and the Fourth Hokage. She sacrificed her life for you, when the Fourth Hokage sealed the Kyuubi inside you."

Naruto stared at Inoichi as he continued, "Your mother saved my life the day when Kyuubi attacked the Leaf village. It is a debt which you have only increased by saving my daughter. She fought the Kyuubi while protecting us. The Kyuubi took a giant swing at her and we thought she was dead, until she rose and said, "It's okay. It just scratched me." The scratches, which she had said were nothing, had cut her down from her shoulder to her stomach. She had held up her own body by chakra, while still protecting us. If she had gone in for medical treatment at that time, she would no doubt still be alive. But she sacrificed herself for us. I can never forget that, and I still looked down upon you as a child."

He held Naruto's hand and said, "I hope you have it in your heart to forgive me for keeping my daughter away from you, from forbidding her to be your friend, and for not being there as your mother's friend when you needed help. Please forgive me." Naruto looked at him, tears forming in his eyes, and clasped Inoichi's hand with his other hand, saying, "You have more than repaid your debt by telling me all this. I have never been so happy in my life. Thank you, Inoichi-san."

Inoichi looked at him and said, "So does that mean that I'm forgiven?" Naruto said, "Of course, Inoichi-san." The older blonde got up and left the room, leaving Naruto with his thoughts.

**Author's Note**: Sorry for the short chapter, I'm busy with college stuff. Happy Reading!


	16. Chapter 16:The Serpent's Mistake

**Chapter 16: The Serpent's Mistake**

"You're late, Sasuke," Kabuto said sarcastically, as Sasuke entered Orochimaru's current hideout. Sasuke looked at him for a moment, studying him, before saying sardonically, "I'm sorry, I didn't know you were waiting for me." Kabuto looked at him in surprise; Sasuke had never spoken to him like this before.

Sasuke said, "Where is Orochimaru?" Kabuto replied, "**Lord **Orochimaru is in the scroll room, he is awaiting your arrival." Sasuke walked off, not even acknowledging Kabuto's answer. The serpent Sannin's apprentice looked at Sasuke, thinking, "What's got into him?"

Sasuke didn't find Orochimaru at the scroll room. He searched the rooms and found Orochimaru sitting on his throne in his own room, perusing over a couple of scrolls. Orochimaru didn't acknowledge him in the slightest. Sasuke looked at the necromantic shinobi with distaste. Finally, Orochimaru gazed upwards and said, seemingly in surprise, "Ah, Sasuke. I see you have made it back from the tournament. Did you find what you were looking for? Or at least win the tournament?"

Sasuke's ire rose; he knew that the serpent had been aware of his presence as soon as he had entered the room. "It was a trap; set by a blood drinking demon," he replied, without displaying his emotions. Orochimaru looked at him with a surprised expression for a split second; before he emptied his face of any emotions as well and mused, "I see. It must have been after your Kekkei Genkai. Obviously, it was no match for you, considering that you are here."

Sasuke shook his head, saying, "I was captured and enslaved by the demon."

Orochimaru tilted his head slightly, betraying an increased interest.

"Naruto broke the demon's hold over me, and was able to defeat it too," Sasuke said. Normally, admitting something like this would be extremely infuriating for him, but this time, he reveled in the Sannin's reaction. Though most people would have missed it, Sasuke had unbelievably sharp eyes even without his Sharingan activated, and he caught the narrowing of Orochimaru's eyes, and the twitch of his eyebrows.

"So the fool came for you as I thought. But as usual, he was unable to capture you."

Sasuke said, with a dark humor in his voice, "He was distracted. I was able to get away as he was treating his team- mates." Sasuke relayed the entire battle to the rogue Sannin and strangely, it cause a strange impact on the serpent. It set off a chain of thoughts in the necromantic man's mind, inspiring both worry, and fear.

As Sasuke was telling him about the part where Naruto was drilling the Wind Rasengan through the demon, Orochimaru suddenly burst into a fit of coughing, and the scrolls in front of him were spattered with blood. Sasuke stopped, his amusement at angering the serpent gone. "The demon's hold on me was interesting. I couldn't see or smell or hear anything. But my Sharingan read everything that happened and retained it in my brain. Most was useless, but Naruto did say something that sparked my interest."

"Enough about that fool, now," hissed Orochimaru. "We have more important matters to attend to." Sasuke took a step forward and continued, "Naruto told me that you tried to defeat Itachi and failed." Orochimaru, who had been growing angry at Sasuke's tone, froze. He thought, "How on earth did the Jinchuuriki brat know about this? Well, I can't think of that at the moment. I have to deal with Sasuke right now."

The serpent feigned disinterest and said, "And you didn't already know that?"

Sasuke stop feigning normalcy. He burst out in an icy tone, "I had suspected this, but… Everything I did for the last three years, until now, was to gain the power to kill my brother. I betrayed my village and my team mates. I stole for you, killed for you…"

Orochimaru hissed, "And I have given you the power that you were seeking for, all this time." Sasuke roared, "YOU COULDN'T EVEN DEFEAT ITACHI! And of course, your teachings would keep me weaker than you!" Orochimaru watched, betraying no emotions, waiting to see what Sasuke was up to.

"We are done. I know now that you are not worthy of the Sharingan. I am leaving, to find someone who will give me the power that I need to finish off my brother," Sasuke said, as he turned away and started walking off.

Orochimaru started laughing, "Hahahahahahahaha! What wonderful timing! I missed you last time. Had you not come back, left a little earlier, I would missed you again and would be forced to take a surrogate. But this time I will not let you go so easily." Sasuke looked back towards him, his Sharingan glowing in the darkness. He said, "I thought you looked weak. Didn't you have three months left before switching again?" Orochimaru got up and stretched his arms. He said, "Maybe this body was too weak to begin with. Or maybe I used up to much of its life force, regaining the use of my arms." Then his hands dropped to twice their length. "Anyway, I have enough power to defeat the weaker sibling."

The doors of the room shut as Sasuke looked back, seeing Kabuto's smirk. He realized why Kabuto had said that he was late. He looked back at Orochimaru to see all the skin and flesh of Orochimaru dropping to the floor in chunks. Underneath the skin came snake scales, so white that they shone in the darkness of the room. As the transformation ended, Sasuke saw a huge white serpent looking down at him, its face resembling Orochimaru remotely.

Sasuke looked up at Orochimaru, disgusted, saying, "Is this what you've chosen to turn into? I pity you." He flung a trio of kunai at Orochimaru, whose scales deflected them without even flinching.

Sasuke signed quickly, "Mi, Hitsuji, Saru, I, Uma, Tora! Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" He spit a huge ball of flames at his former master, who signed vocally, having no arms to gesture. "Mi, Tatsu, Tori, Inu, Ne. Earth Style: Mud Surge Jutsu." A huge wave of mud broke out from the ground in front of the serpent and enveloped the fire art of Sasuke, who was forced to abandon his jutsu to avoid being smashed into the wall.

"This, you foolish traitor, is my soul," Orochimaru hissed, "It is the natural form of my spirit when outside of a body and is much stronger than a human vessel." Sasuke replied, unimpressed, "Then why steal bodies?" Orochimaru simply sneered, "Because for all its strength, a soul begins to fade without a material form to contain it. And without a chakra supply, I cannot recover my energy."

"Ninja Arts: Flesh Bomb Jutsu!" Orochimaru intoned, and the chunks of flesh near Sasuke's body burst, filling the area with poison fog. Coughing, Sasuke dove out of the cloud of venom. Orochimaru's head grinned, saying, "You are correct on all counts, though, Sasuke-kun. I could have given you so much more power than you have, more than you could even deserve. It was rather amusing, trying to find the balance between making you a strong host, and keeping you weak enough to be unable to oppose me."

The ground near Sasuke erupted and long spikes of white scales shot out towards him. With his Sharingan, Sasuke was able to dodge almost all of them, but was forced to shatter one with his sword. He looked at Orochimaru, hatred in his red eyes. The snake smirked and said, "Will the Sharingan work on me? Will you be able to hypnotize a soul? Or will you be able to copy my hand signs, when I have no hands?"

As if to reply to him, Sasuke signed, "Mi, Tatsu, Tori, Inu, Ne!" and a much larger wave of mud flew towards the serpent. Orochimaru gazed at the mud with moderate appreciation and at the last moment, dived through it. He said, "I have no bones to break, no blood to spill. You cannot harm me when I am in this form." Orochimaru turned to look at the rebel teenager, but he was no longer there. Then Orochimaru smelled him and looked up at the ceiling just in time to see Sasuke aiming his sword at the serpent's neck.

The traitorous Sannin caught the sword between his scales, and turned to bite Sasuke. Sasuke tried to dodge, but he was too close and the fangs of his former master caught him lightly on the right arm. As he dropped back, choking a little bit, Sasuke started signing. Meanwhile, Orochimaru broke his sword and threw the pieces at Sasuke to stop him. Sasuke dodged them easily, while still signing, and shouted, "Lightning Style: Lightning trident Jutsu!"

Three huge spears of lightning shot out from Sasuke's hands and hit the Sannin in the legs, burning out huge chunks of flesh from them. Orochimaru looked at Sasuke with newfound respect, even as his legs started healing. He said, "Where did you learn that Jutsu? I didn't teach it to you." Sasuke didn't respond and began considering his options. His lungs were burning from the toxins and his right arm was starting to numb.

Before the teenager could act, Orochimaru took one step forward and vanished. He appeared behind Sasuke and stabbed twice with the Kusanagi, which had appeared in his mouth. Sasuke cried out in agony as the tendons in his leg muscles were cut. Orochimaru smirked, saying, "I had faith that I had trained you better than this. It seems that I will need a lot of time to catch up…"

The serpent Sannin swallowed his Kusanagi, and opened his jaws wide, engulfing the young teenager up to his legs. Sasuke kicked out feebly, as his legs were also swallowed by the serpent. Meanwhile, Kabuto's face lit up as he saw his arrogant junior being swallowed up by the serpent. Just then, something caught his eye, and he froze the feed, and rewound it. Just before Sasuke's face disappeared into the serpent's mouth, he smiled a triumphant grin.

Sasuke looked around him. He seemed to be in a plain, with nothing around him. He stepped forward, and suddenly a white cube sprang up around him. He touched the prison; nothing visible happened. He pushed outwards and suddenly found a tingling in his arm. "What is this place?" Sasuke shouted out.

Orochimaru's normal face suddenly appeared in front of the cage, and said, "Well, think of it as my spiritual stomach. In the past, I would simply destroy the victim's soul, to make things easier. But your Sharingan is as much a part of your soul as your body, so I will have to slowly digest it from here. I will tear down your personality and memories bit by bit and absorb them. This way, I will finally get the power of these accursed eyes, and I believe that it will also help me keep this body alive longer, until I find the secret to gaining immortality."

Sasuke grinned. Orochimaru's face frowned at him, wondering, 'What's up with that look on his face?' Sasuke burst into laughter, tears streaming out of his eyes. He wiped his eyes as he continued laughing, and then finally said, "You're right, you know. The Sharingan is a part of my soul."

He looked up at Orochimaru's face, his eyes suddenly glowing red, with a three bladed black design in each of them. Orochimaru gasped, "NO! How can you activate the Sharin…" His protests were cut off as he screamed in intense agony. His face shrunk in size, becoming smaller and smaller until it finally disappeared.

Suddenly, Orochimaru's face began to appear in the prison that he had pushed Sasuke into. Slowly, his entire body began getting sucked in. Finally, the serpent found himself standing inside the cage. He looked at the Uchiha and screamed, "What have you done? And how?"

Sasuke looked at him in disgust and then sneered, "My Mangekyo Sharingan can pierce through time, space and thought. A soul prison made up only of space and thought cannot hold me." He started to fade from the cage and Orochimaru desperately charged at him. But his hands met nothing but air. Sasuke smirked as he vanished completely from the cage. Orochimaru signed and spat out a huge inferno of flames, but the cage remained unchanged.

An eye suddenly came up in front of the cage where Orochimaru had begun writing something on the floor with his blood. The eye was red and had a bladed design. Sasuke's voice echoed, "How did you like the trap that I set for you? You thought yourself so smart as to kill me so easily? No wonder you do not deserve the Sharingan, you don't know anything about it." Orochimaru continued writing, and finally said, "Necromantic Arts: Soul Summoning!" But nothing happened. Sasuke's voice started laughing and said, "That jutsu of yours requires physical blood, not the imaginary blood that you were writing with. And in any case, I can subdue you again with my Sharingan, so it is futile to escape."

Kabuto looked at the monitors with confusion and worry. Why would Sasuke be smiling as he died? He looked back at the screen, seeing Orochimaru's soul fade away, leaving only Sasuke's body behind. "Interesting," he said; Orochimaru's previous transfers had been slow, taking at least half a day to digest. Suddenly, Sasuke looked straight at the camera and said, "Your master is done. I have killed him. He won't be able to save you, the next time we meet."

Kabuto froze. Sasuke had killed Orochimaru. He had wanted Orochimaru to steal his body the whole time. All that he did, was simply an act, an act of resistance to make things simpler.

Sasuke looked down at his leg muscles, smiling at the cuts that were closing with an inhuman speed. The rogue turned and activated his Chidori. He blasted through the stone doors easily and walked off. As he turned the corner and vanished, Kabuto snuck into the room. He quickly picked up the chunks of remaining flesh and stored them into a scroll. He gathered everything that he could and then quietly exited the room.

"What the fu…" the red haired Kunoichi began to yell as the room of her door burst open. But as she saw who it was, her expression turned to one of rapture. The girl was of around Sasuke's height, and quite slender. Her light red hair was split on two sides, one side long and straight, and the other side wild and unkempt. She only wore a tiny spandex tank top and small shorts. Her eyes, which matched her hair color, glowed with delight and a healthy amount of lust.

"Sasuke-kun!" she purred lecherously as she lunged forward to him. He simply sidestepped her embrace as he entered the room. "Karin, it is time. I have defeated Orochimaru. I am leaving. Are you coming with me?" Karin looked at him, her expression surprised and scared for a split second, before she hid it under a lusty smile. "Run away with you, Sasuke-kun? Gladly!" She latched herself onto him, holding his right arm tightly.

"Good," Sasuke managed to disentangle himself from her, but his right hand brushed against her breast. She shivered and blushed from the brief contact. "Get ready to leave," he said, "I'm going to bring our third team mate."

Karin's face fell, genuinely disappointed. "Do we have to?" she asked, pouting. "Won't the two of us be enough?" He shook his head, saying, "Are you willing to fight Kisame Hoshigaki on your own?" She froze for a second before saying angrily, "Do you think I can't?" He looked at her and smiled, before lying smoothly, "Of course I don't. I just don't want to put you at risk, not when there is someone else we can use."

She seemed to accept his explanation, before allowing him to leave.

Unlike before, Sasuke knocked at the door this time. After a few moments, the door was opened by an annoyed looking person. "You again!" he said and went back to sitting on the bed, cleaning a pair of spiked swords in an intimidating fashion. Sasuke stared at him, unimpressed.

Suigetsu Hozuki grinned at him, displaying his sharp shark-like teeth. He said, "What is it this time, Uchiha?" Sasuke frowned at the disrespect but said, "I have killed Orochimaru. I am leaving. Will you join me and honor our agreement?" Suigetsu looked at him with pretense confusion, "What was that? Did you say something about an agreement?"

Sasuke replied, "Don't play games with me, Suigetsu. The agreement where I take you to where Zabuza Momochi's sword is held and you fight Kisame Hoshigaki when the time comes."

Suigetsu nodded, saying, "Ah. That agreement." Then he looked back at Sasuke seriously, "You know I want to kill you. Why should I watch your back?" Sasuke smirked and replied, "Self-interest. You already have Raiga's swords. If you want Zabuza's sword, you need me. And if you want Kisame's sword as well, you need someone to take care of Itachi for you. Which is also the reason why I need you, because I know that you are the only one who will fight Kisame all out."

Then Sasuke smiled and said, "Besides, who knows what Karin will do to you if you betray me." Suigetsu's eyes widened and he said, "That bitch is coming too? No way!" Sasuke's eyes suddenly glowed red and Suigetsu realized that he had touched a nerve. He said, "Okay okay, I'll put up with her. I'll work with you, but only until I get the Samehada."

A few minutes later, the three of them left Orochimaru's hideout. Karin had put on a lavender coat and thigh high boots. Suigetsu carried a backpack and had strapped Raiga's swords to behind his shoulders. The three of them set of to the Land of Waves.

**Author's Note: **Sorry for the delay, having a lot of problems at home. Hope they get sorted soon. Please review. Happy Reading!


	17. Chapter 17:Naruto's New Toy

**Chapter 17: Naruto's New Toy**

Naruto and Ino walked home from the movie, Ino's head on Naruto's shoulder. The two of them cut a wonderful sight, a perfect couple. Suddenly, Naruto stopped. Ino looked at him, confused, "What is it, Naruto?" He looked at her and said, "That weapon shop." She looked at the right and saw the weapon shop which he was staring at. "What about it?" she asked, still confused. He suddenly ran towards the display and stared at it. Ino ran after him, still confused, and a little annoyed at his attitude.

"Naruto! Are you gonna tell me what you're thinking about, or do I have to do it myself?" Ino demanded. Naruto pointed at the weapon on the left side of the display. Ino snorted, "That's a training tool, Naruto. It's a staff blade." She suddenly saw the gleam in his eyes as she said the word. Naruto finally spoke, "The staff blade is my weapon of choice for battle." Ino stared at him incredulously and he said, "I've had training of the staff blade with Iruka sensei for some time. He told me that I had great potential for it. And I've wanted a staff blade of my own for some time now."

"So, are you going to buy this one, Naruto-kun?" Ino asked. He shook his head and looked at her with a devilish expression, saying, "I'm going to make one." Ino stared and said, "But you can't craft weapons!" before thinking, 'Can you?' He said, "Meet me at Iguromo's weapon shop tomorrow at 8AM. I'll show you something really epic." She said, "Alright, alright. But can you at least walk me to my parents' home now? I'm staying there for the night, remember?" He said sheepishly, "Right. I forgot about that."

They reached Ino's old home, where Naruto said goodnight and began to walk off nonchalantly. But Ino grabbed his shirt and said, "Just like that?" He turned with a sad smile and whispered in her ear, "You dad is looking out the window at us right now." She looked up immediately and said, "Dad, do you mind giving us a moment?" Naruto also looked at Inoichi apologetically and Inoichi receded into the room. Ino hugged Naruto and brought her face close to his. As she puckered her lips, he also leaned in closer. Their lips met and they kissed each other happily.

Naruto broke apart from her after a few moments and said hoarsely, "What did I do to deserve you, Ino?" She smiled and said, "Nothing much. Apart from changing my life, saving me, returning my feelings for me, caring for me… should I go on?" He shook his head, smiling. Just then, he felt someone's presence nearby. He turned around, but no one was there. He turned back to Ino, who looked at him questioningly. He shook his head again, and gave her a small kiss again before whispering, "Good night, Ino-chan. And your dad saw this kiss." Ino blushed slightly before saying, "I really don't care right now, Naruto."

She went in the house, and Inoichi looked down at Naruto, a little annoyed at the display, but also inwardly happy that Ino had found such a wonderful boy as her partner. He had always worried that she would be fixated on that Uchiha brat. He jumped down lightly from the window and fixed Naruto with an appraising look. Then he spoke, "I'm glad that Ino and you are together. You have earned my respect thoroughly, so I don't mind your relationship with her in the slightest. But, as it is a father's duty, I have to regretfully warn you, that…"

Naruto smiled and said, "That if I ever do anything that will hurt Ino's feelings, you'll hunt me down for the rest of my life. Isn't that right, Inoichi-san?" Inoichi nodded, and then smiled. Naruto said, "I'd kill myself before ever hurting Ino, Inoichi-san. Don't you worry one bit." Inoichi held out his hand and Naruto shook it. Then they hugged and Inoichi went back in the house. Ino came to her bedroom's window and blew him a flying kiss. He caught it exaggeratedly and she giggled. He waved goodbye at her, and she sighed. Naruto turned and started walking to their home.

Just then, he again got the feeling that he was being watched. He thought of a plan. He shunshined two streets away and split off a Shadow Clone. The Shadow Clone continued home and he followed it discreetly, watching if someone was shadowing the clone. As he was about to give up, he suddenly saw Hinata watching the clone from behind a corner. He frowned and went up to her. She was so focused at the clone that she didn't even notice the original. He tapped her on the shoulder and said, "What are you doing, Hinata? Why are you following me? Is there something you want?"

Hinata blanched; how could she not have noticed him? She started fainting, but Naruto quickly held her nose. As her breath was constricted, Hinata sprang back to full alert and Naruto let go of her nose. She blushed deeply and he said again, "Why were you following me, Hinata?" She tapped her fingers together as was her habit, and stammered, "Umm…umm…Naruto-kun, I…wanted to…to say some…something…" But just then, she seemed to lose her nerve and said, "Sorry, I have…have to go." She ran off, and he frowned. What was with this girl?

He reached home and remembered about the staff blade. He would need some stuff from Iguromo for it. Naruto went to his cupboard and touched the FuinJutsu seal on his drawer. It opened and he removed a pouch. It consisted of a lot of money. He tried to calculate how much he would need, before deciding it was too troublesome, and took out the entire amount. He put it in Gama, and thought, "I can put the rest of it back after I finish buying what I need."

Naruto called Kakashi and said, "Are you busy tomorrow morning, sensei? I have something I want to show you." Kakashi said, "Sorry, I have teaching duties tomorrow, Naruto. It's my turn to volunteer at the academy for my yearly class. Why, is it something important?" Naruto replied, "No, I can show it to some other time as well. But it's something I'm proud of. Never mind." Kakashi said, "Okay then. I'll see it later sometime. And Naruto, good that you called. The Chunin exams are taking place a couple of months from now, you should start training for them."

Naruto paled, before saying, "I totally forgot about that, Kakashi sensei! Thanks for telling me!" Kakashi said, "Anytime." He hung up. Naruto went to sleep, but he kept thinking about the Chunin exams. He finally fell asleep and dreamt of tiny nine-tailed foxes attacking him in the Forest of Death. He woke up sweating and the Kyuubi laughed in his psyche. Naruto turned over and went back to sleep.

The next day, Ino reached Iguromo's weapons shop punctually at 8AM. She waited for nearly fifteen minutes before tapping her foot impatiently, 'Where on earth is Naruto?' Naruto suddenly showed up in front of her and said, "Sorry, Ino. I didn't get a good night's sleep. Let's go." Ino started to ask him what had happened but they entered the shop and Iguromo smiled at them. "How are you, Naruto-kun? Ino-chan?" They both smiled at the former Stone village ninja and Naruto said, "I'm here to buy some stuff, Iguromo-san. I hope you have everything I need."

He took out a list and began reading. "I'll need 50 stainless steel kunais, 50 steel shurikens, a 5x5 sheet of steel and titanium alloy, the strongest one you have, and a quarter pound of 24 carat gold, in a block shape."

Ino and Iguromo stared at him as though he were mad. Ino vocalized her thought, "Are you mad, Naruto? What do you need all this stuff for?" Iguromo nodded at that and added, "And do you know how much all of this will cost, Naruto-kun?" Naruto nodded, saying, "I know. But I do need all of this for what I'm about to do."

Iguromo took out a box of kunais and shurikens and gave them to Naruto. Naruto picked out 50 of each and kept them aside. Iguromo went in the back and got a sheet of steel and titanium alloy out, and kept it next to the kunais. He then said, "You will have to wait for the gold, I'm afraid." Naruto said, "It's okay, I'll wait." Ino said, "How long will it take, Iguromo-san?" Iguromo looked at his watch and said, "A couple of hours at the most."

Ino nodded and said, "Naruto, let's go and do some training till then. We can come back and take everything later." Naruto said, "Okay. Iguromo-san, keep all of this safe, alright? Wrap it up so that it will be easier for me to carry." Iguromo nodded and started wrapping the stuff up. The two blondes left the store and headed to the training ground nearest to them. As they reached, Naruto said, "So, what do you want to do, Ino?"

Ino looked at him, surprised, and said, "What do you mean, Naruto?"

Naruto said, "I've never really trained with another person before. The Pervy Sage never sparred with me, he had me training with my Shadow Clones. And any training with Kakashi sensei has had me fighting against Sakura. So I've never really trained with a fellow shinobi of my age on my own."

Ino looked sad at that; but then she looked up and said, "I wanted to ask you a favor." Naruto said, "Anything for you, Ino." Ino smiled at that and then said, "Can you teach me the Rasengan?"

Naruto blinked in surprise and said, "What?" Ino repeated the question and he looked down at his feet. Ino sighed and said, "I understand. It's your special jutsu and all. It's okay." Naruto's eyes shot up and he said, "It's not that, Ino. It's just that I don't think I'm good enough to teach you anything. It took me some time to learn it, and I've only recently mastered it with one hand."

Ino said determinedly, "I'm willing to put up with anything as long as you teach me." He sighed and said, "Alright. But first, let me show it to you." Ino said, "Wait. I know how I can speed up through the training. I'll read your mind to find out how the Rasengan is formed. It will make it easier for me."

Naruto nodded, and sat down. Ino Mind Transferred into him and perused his mind. She saw all the different Rasengans he had created in his training with Jiraiya and her eyes widened. She tried to reach into another part of his mind, but she found it blocked. Ino frowned. "What is there here that Naruto has blocked me out of it?" She decided not to ask but went forward and looked at the first time he had formed the Rasengan. She saw all the stages of his training. Then, after she had all the information she could get, Ino ended the jutsu and went back to her own mind.

Naruto said, "Ino, please don't look into that part of my mind again. I keep it closed even from you for a reason. I'll tell you when the time comes, don't worry." Ino nodded and said, "Well, I know how you did it, Naruto. But we will need water balloons for the first stage, right?" Naruto nodded, grinning at the memory of his first time learning the Rasengan.

They got a few water balloons and Ino started gathering chakra in her hand. Unlike her boyfriend, she had expert chakra control, and was able to gather chakra into the balloon quite easily. Naruto quoted what Kakashi had told him about chakra change in form and nature. He said, "The Rasengan is the highest level of change in chakra form, Ino. It is an A-Ranked jutsu in itself. So, don't over-exert yourself."

Under Naruto's watchful gaze, Ino burst the first water balloon in just over an hour after they had started training. Naruto congratulated her and said, "It took me more than a day to do it." Ino looked at him happily and then continued doing the same. Then she frowned and suddenly said, "Is it difficult to make the Rasengan smaller, Naruto?"

Naruto frowned slightly and said, "I guess it is. It needs greater chakra control to make it smaller, because the chakra threads have to be woven tighter around in the sphere. But why?" Ino said, "I think that you could improve your chakra control if you started making your Rasengan smaller and smaller. Until you can fit it onto one finger." Naruto stared at her and she blushed slightly. "Ino! That's brilliant! Imagine the power of five tiny Rasengans, one on each finger! Amazing!"

Ino nodded, saying, "It will also help you hone your chakra control. And besides, I can work on the Rasengan as well, at the same time."

Ino continued working on bursting the water balloons until she was tired out. Being a kunoichi, she naturally had finer chakra control and had not been force to stretch her chakra reserves as much as other shinobi. Naruto had got his Rasengan down to about the size of a golf ball. He looked at the time and said, "We need to get my stuff, Ino." Ino nodded and they went back to the store.

Iguromo got out all the stuff that Naruto had ordered and said, "That will be 2,80,750 Ryo, Naruto." Naruto said, "Alright, Iguromo-san." He took out Gama and took out the money required. Ino stared at Naruto's pouch, thinking, 'Where did Naruto get this much money from?' Naruto said, "Thanks, Iguromo-san. See ya later!" They both stepped out from the shop and Ino inquired, "How do you have so much money, Naruto?"

Naruto said sheepishly, "I helped the Pervy Sage write some of his books, because he wouldn't train me otherwise. So I get part of the royalties from the books. And they sell quite well too, which is surprising, considering what the material is. That's how I have so much money."

Ino blushed as she remembered her stash of Icha Icha series under her bed. She made up her mind to store them somewhere safer. Then she blushed deeper, realizing that Naruto had written some of the things that she had read. Naruto noticed her blushing and said, "What is it, Ino?" She shook her head and put the books out of her head.

They reached the training grounds again, and Naruto sat down cross-legged. He intoned, "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Four clones split off and they sat down as well, making a pentagonal pattern. The original Naruto piled all the stuff in the center between them. Then they all started signing in perfect synchronization. Ino stared in amazement as the five of them kept signing for more than a minute. After another minute, a black ball started appearing in the center of the pentagonal pattern the five of them were sitting in. Naruto said, his voice straining, "Ino, get back. And this will take time. You are free to go if you get bored." Ino nodded and took a few steps back. The pile of stuff that Naruto had bought was all dragged into the black sphere. Ino wondered what it was.

Just then, Sakura entered the training ground. She had seen Ino and Naruto enter the training ground and wondered what they were up to. Then she saw what Naruto was doing and gasped audibly. Ino turned to look at her and Sakura asked, "Why is Naruto doing that?" Ino looked confused and asked, "Do you know what it is he's doing?"

Sakura said, "That's the Weapon Forge Jutsu, I'm sure of it. Don't you know about it, Ino?" Ino said, "No, I've never heard anything about it other than it being an S-Ranked Jutsu. Do you mean that Naruto is performing the Weapon Forge Jutsu right now?"

Sakura nodded and said, "According to legend, five ninjas are required to perform the jutsu. And if the five are not in agreement as to what weapon is to be crafted, then it will be a waste of chakra, as the weapon will be ruined."

Ino gaped at Naruto and then said to Sakura, "Where would Naruto learn this jutsu?" Sakura was busy staring at the jutsu which Naruto was currently using. She then said, "However, if someone possesses the chakra to fill in all the positions, that eliminates any issues."

They watched Naruto but after a half hour, it became evident that this was going to take time. Sakura said, "I gotta go to the hospital for my work shift. Tell Naruto to show me what he's made when it's done." Ino nodded and Sakura walked off. Ino continued to watch Naruto.

After some time, as Naruto had predicted, Ino got bored. But rather than taking off, she started working on her Rasengan again. She was able to gather chakra in her hands quite easily; but forming the threads in a perfect sphere was quite tough, even for her. As they both worked on their respective jutsus, the sun came up over their heads. Naruto continued the jutsu, while Ino retired to the shade of the trees nearby.

It was nearly 7PM in the evening when Naruto suddenly said, "Tatsu!" and the sphere disappeared. A weapon fell out of the sphere as it vanished, and he caught it in his right hand. The rest of the clones vanished as Ino walked up to him, and saw the weapon he was holding in his hand.

"Naruto, is that what I think it is?" Ino asked. Naruto nodded happily.

"It's a staff blade, Naruto," Ino continued, a little annoyed that he had spent so much time and money on a training tool, until she suddenly remembered, 'Right, it's his weapon of choice.' Naruto held out the weapon, and now that she could see it clearly, she gasped.

The pole of the weapon was fully golden, glinting in the sunset. The blade was two feet in height, and made of steel, presumably the steel of the kunais and shurikens. The pole had an intricate design carved into it, and upon a closer look, Ino felt tears rising up. What she had thought was a design was actually her name, carved into the pole thousands of times in an italic style. But the pommel of the weapon was the most unique thing about it. It was stylized as a golden fox, and looked beautiful.

"Naruto, this is too much!" Ino said, as she crossed the distance between them and kissed him. He swept her off her feet and returned her kiss. He said, "For what you've given me, this is nothing." They broke apart and then Naruto said, "Hold on. I'll show you some of the cool things I've added into it."

He continued, "The entire pole is made of the titanium and steel alloy, making it almost impossible to break. It's covered with a gold plating to prevent it from getting corroded or rusty. Plus the steel blade also has titanium built into it, for giving it a boost in strength. I've chakra bonded the weapon so it will only work for me, and for you, should you ever need to use it. If anyone else touches it, the weapon will emit a small Lightning Trident into that person's hand, and will be teleported back to my… I mean, our house."

Ino stared at the weapon, amazed, and Naruto said, "It also intercepts all jutsus except S-Ranked ones and negates them, so any attempt to use a jutsu against me will not work at all. I can simply hold this in front of me and laugh my ass off as my opponent stares at me dumbfounded." Ino said, in disbelief, "I don't believe that. How can it resist all the five types of chakra? That's impossible!"

Naruto said, "I thought you might not believe me. That's why I'm going to take it to Kakashi sensei and have him test it with five different jutsus of five elements. We'll see how my weapon does against them." Ino nodded, still struck dumb by the amazing weapon that Naruto had created. Then she asked, "What about the pommel? Why did you use the fox design?" Naruto smiled and said, "So everyone who faces the staff blade may know that they're about to go head to head with the Jinchuuriki of the Nine Tails!"

Ino smiled. Naruto then sent a little wind chakra into the weapon and the blade suddenly turned bright green, extending over three feet in length and four feet in width. The staff blade had suddenly turned into a broadsword.

Ino stared as Naruto said, "Wind chakra is sharper than any metal in the world. If I need to cut anything instantly, all I have to do is infuse my wind chakra into the weapon." Ino suddenly noticed that while the wind blade had been created, the eyes of the fox on the weapon glowed. She said, "Why are the fox's eyes glowing green?" Naruto smiled at her observation and then released the wind blade. He then infused another chakra into the weapon and the fox's eyes turned purple.

Ino looked up at the weapon, which was now a whip of deep purple lightning, extending from the pommel over the blade and 5 feet further. At the same time, the fox's eyes were now glowing purple. She realized, 'The eyes glow to inform which kind of chakra Naruto is using at that moment.'

Naruto said, "This glow in the fox's eyes is not for decoration, Ino." Ino looked at him, confused and he said, "Just a moment." In his psyche, Naruto said, "Hey fox, give me a little chakra." The fox sneered at him, "**Why should I, knucklehead?**" But the fox was a little intrigued at the new weapon that Naruto had crafted. Naruto said, "If you don't, I'll irritate the hell out of you."

"**Oh?**" the fox pretended to think. Then he said, "**And how would you do that?**" Naruto smirked, "I'll hum and sing and dance in here. All the stupidest songs I can think of. Until you give me your chakra just to shut me up." The Kyuubi shuddered and said, "**Alright, alright. But only because even I'm curious as to what you're up to.**" As he returned to the surface, Ino noticed that Naruto's eyes had turned red. As she began to back away, Naruto said, "Don't worry, I'm using the fox's chakra, but I'm in full control. Look at this."

Ino saw the fox's eyes on the weapon turn red, and the blade of the weapon suddenly extended to around seven feet from the pommel and became rough and serrated like a shark's teeth. It looked like a mix of Zabuza's and Kisame's sword rather than a staff blade now. Naruto said, "If the weapon ever does this without me telling you that I'm doing it, it means that the fox is influencing me. The staff blade will indicate that, and you will have to find some way to subdue me. Alright?" With that, he let go of the fox's chakra and his eyes turned back to cerulean blue. In his psyche, the demon went crazy, suddenly understanding why Naruto wanted his chakra. '**He wanted the girl to see how the weapon would be under my influence! He pulled one on me! I'll crush you, Naruto!**'

Naruto simple smirked and said to the demon, "Thank you for your co-operation."

Ino said, "You've crafted quite a weapon, Naruto. It's wonderful!" He smiled and said, "All this work has made me hungry. And I'm a little low on chakra too. Let's get something to eat, shall we?" Ino nodded.

As they exited the training ground, a voice called out to them. They turned to see Sakura running towards them. She said, "I thought I would miss you guys here. My shift just got over at the hospital so I came over to see what Naruto had created." Naruto held out the staff blade and sent a tiny thread of chakra into it, so that the blade would not react under Sakura's hands. Sakura held the blade and said, "This is a training tool, Naruto!" Naruto said, "I know. But you'll understand later, Sakura." Sakura looked at the design and saw the word Naruto had written on the pole. She gasped and looked at Ino, who looked back at her and smiled.

"So, you guys, huh?" Sakura said, with an odd emptiness in her voice. Naruto and Ino nodded simultaneously, and Sakura said, "Well, good for you. But make sure you reign him in, Ino. This guy's a peeper." Ino smiled and said, "Oh, no need to worry about that. After all, do you really think he needs to peep, with me there for him?" Naruto blushed moderately at the implications of that statement. Sakura handed over the weapon to Naruto, who stuck it in his belt. He said, "So long, Sakura. We're going to get something to eat. Unless you wanna join us?"

Sakura said, "No, I need to get home. Otherwise, mom will start worrying. See ya."

Ino said, "I'm glad Sakura didn't join us. I wanted some alone time with you." Naruto blushed again as he said, "What for?" She simply grinned wickedly.

As they exited Ichiraku's, Naruto sighing happily, Ino said, "First one to get home will get to shower first!" And she rushed off. Naruto, never one to back down from a challenge, gave a mock roar and chased off after her. The two of them raced across the rooftops, attracting attention as they ran across walls as well. As they reached their building, Ino suddenly ran up the wall and jumped straight into the balcony. She entered the house and looked behind her to see where Naruto was. To her surprise, someone caught her from behind and kissed her on the neck. She looked around in amazement to see Naruto grinning back at her.

"How did you get in front of me?" Ino asked in bewilderment. Naruto smirked and said, "I have a secret." Ino demanded, "Are you going to tell me or do I have to do it myself?" He said, "It won't be any good. The secret is in the part of the mind which I have blocked." Ino suddenly understood and nodded. Naruto said, "Well, I guess I'll take my shower now." Ino grinned cunningly and whispered in his ear, "I have a better idea. How about we shower together?"

**Author's Note:** Hey, what's up guys, here's another chapter for you guys. I wanted to make a couple of things clear which weren't. Some of my reviews said that my story is going too fast. I'm sorry for that, but you have to realize that this is my first story, so I need time to improve. Also, about Naruto's Rasenshuriken. In my fic, Naruto created the Rasenshuriken while training with Jiraiya, not in the Wind Element Arc of Naruto Shippuden. And about not being able to throw it without Sage Mode, well... According to me, Naruto can do anything in his psyche. So throwing the Rasenshuriken shouldn't be an issue. Alright, that's about it. I hope you guys are satisfied with my explanation. Anyway, review and of course, Happy Reading!


	18. Chapter 18:Testing Kitsune

**Chapter 18: Testing Kitsune; The Chunin Exams Training!**

Naruto woke up, and got out of bed, yawning. He went into the bathroom and started brushing his teeth sleepily. Just then, a voice startled him, "Good morning, sleepyhead!" Naruto looked back to see Ino smiling at him. She was in full uniform. He said, "Ino, do you have a mission?" She shook her head and said, "Today is my teaching duty." Naruto looked at her, confused and said, "Oh yeah, Kakashi sensei mentioned that a couple days back. What are teaching duties?"

Ino explained, "Well, every Chunin or higher ranked Ninja has to take a class once every year, and teach them something outside the academy syllabus. It gives the academy rookies a little more knowledge and shapes them up for the outside world." Naruto indicated his understanding and went back to brushing. Meanwhile, Ino went to the kitchen and started making sandwiches. Naruto took a shower and then went back to his room. He grinned as he thought of his shower last night.

As they both sat eating breakfast, Ino said, "So what are you going to do today, Naruto?" He replied, "I was thinking of getting Kakashi sensei to help me test the limits of my Kitsune." Ino's eyes shot up in surprise and he said, "My staff blade. Kitsune is its name." Ino blinked and thought, 'Naming a weapon after a fox. Well, it is unusual, but then Naruto isn't the most ordinary guy in the world.'

"Alright, Naruto. I have to get going, I'm teaching the kids a little about refining chakra control. See you later!" She pecked him on the cheek and was gone the next moment. Naruto took his time finishing his breakfast, and then did the dishes. He then locked up the house and left as well, calling up Kakashi sensei as he did. "Hey, sensei. Do you have time today?" Kakashi replied, "Yeah, I'm free today. Why?" Naruto said, "I wanted to show you what I was going to show you the day before yesterday."

Kakashi said, "Oh yeah, I forgot about that. Meet me at training ground 7 in fifteen minutes." Naruto said, "How about I just come over to the Memorial Stone and we can go together?" Kakashi blinked, and said, "How did you…"

Naruto said, "You go there every day, sensei, do you really think I wouldn't know by now?" Kakashi sheepishly said, "Alright, get over here."

Fifteen minutes later, the two of them were at the training ground. Kakashi said, "So what is it that you wanted to show me?" Naruto signed, "Weapon Summoning Jutsu!" Kitsune appeared in his right hand and he negated its defense as he handed it over to Kakashi. Kakashi observed the weapon and said, "This is extremely exquisite craftsmanship. Where did you get it from, Naruto? I can't imagine even Iguromo making such a weapon."

Naruto smirked and said, "I made it, sensei."

Kakashi's eye shot up in utter disbelief and said, "What? Do you mean you designed it?" Naruto shook his head and said, "I crafted it." Kakashi simply stared at him and Naruto explained, "I used the Weapon Forge Jutsu to make it."

Kakashi uncovered his left eye and gazed at the weapon using his Sharingan. Under the influence of his eye, he saw the chakra strings that were meticulously built into the weapon. He finally said, "Where did you learn the jutsu, Naruto?" Naruto smiled and said, "All in good time, sensei." Kakashi nodded and said, "Well, is there anything else, apart from showing me the weapon?"

Naruto said, "I want you to hit Kitsune with some jutsus. I want to see how strong it is." Kakashi stared at him and Naruto said, "I've named it Kitsune." Kakashi understood and said, "What jutsu should I use first?" Naruto said promptly, "The Rasengan." Kakashi's eyes widened.

As Kakashi thrust the ball of chakra into Kitsune, a grinding noise occurred from the staff blade and suddenly, the Rasengan unraveled, and Kitsune shone for a moment. Then it returned to normal and Naruto said, "Kitsune negates almost all jutsus. I wanted to test most of them, and who better to ask than the ninja who has copied over a thousand jutsus?" Kakashi nodded and signed, "Lightning Blade!"

Again and again, Naruto's weapon weathered the attack without a single scratch. They went at it for a couple of hours, before Kakashi started getting winded, and Naruto handed him a food pill. Naruto said, "All right, sensei. I guess that's enough for now. I think Kitsune will do well." Kakashi nodded, saying, "That is an unbelievable weapon, Naruto. I have a favor to ask of you." Naruto asked, "What is it, sensei?"

Kakashi said, "Can you craft me a special chokuto? I used to handle one when I was in the ANBU and I've been wondering about getting another one to use again, now that both of my students have their own weapons. I also want to see the Weapon Forge Jutsu in action." Naruto nodded and said, "But I'll need money, sensei. To get the best materials and stuff. This baby here set me back by almost 300 grand." Kakashi said, "Don't worry about the money. Just make sure you craft a weapon as awesome as that one."

Naruto nodded and said, "I better show it to Grandma Tsunade and tell her to record it into my report." Kakashi nodded, and sighed, "I better get going too. I need to meet Gai. He's challenged me again." They both took off.

"I can't believe that you've made this, Naruto," Tsunade looked at the weapon and said. Naruto simply smiled. She asked for the weapon and he said, "One moment." He disabled the defense and she looked at him questioningly. He said, "It works only for me. And well…" Tsunade looked at the design on the pole and smirked at him. "Getting serious, are we?" He scratched his cheek and smiled sheepishly.

'I'm happy for you, Naruto. You've been lucky to find a girl who loves you so much,' Tsunade thought as she examined the weapon. It was perfectly balanced and showed off remarkable craftsmanship. She put her entire strength into the weapon and it didn't even budge. "Wonderful. You have quite some skill in crafting, Naruto." He smiled at the praise. She said, "I'll update the record. Of course, I don't put in the Weapon Forge Jutsu, do I?" He shook his head. She said, "Ok, then. And before you go, did Kakashi inform you of the Chunin Exams?"

Naruto said, "Yes, he did. And I'm going for it this time." Tsunade shook her head and said, "You can't pass the exam on your own, you know. You need a team to pass the Chunin exams. If you don't have at least one partner, you are not eligible to participate." Naruto just stood there, staring at her. She said, "I know what you're thinking, Naruto. But these rules have been set by the Council of Shadows, and I cannot break them for a single shinobi, even if that shinobi is you."

Naruto silently turned and went back out of the room. Tsunade let him go, and thought sadly, 'I wish it were otherwise, Naruto, but I can't help it.' Naruto walked away, barely looking at anyone, his feet taking him automatically to the place he needed to go, to empty his head.

As he stared out to the village from atop the Fourth Hokage's head, he realized, 'I can't just sit around doing nothing. I gotta go ask around if anyone is interested in being my teammate for the Chunin exams. Yeah, that could work. But who? All my batch mates except Sasuke are Chunin already, and Sasuke of course, is out of question. So who?'

As he thought, an idea hit him and he jumped off the head of the Hokage, landing on top of Ninja Ops. He hit the streets and ran to training ground 14, where he knew Konohamaru was training with his team. He reached there in record time and went in. Konohamaru looked at him and waved, "Hey boss! How are you?"

Naruto said, "I want to talk to you in private, Ko." The Third Hokage's grandson nodded and came over to him, out of Moegi and Udon's earshot. He said, "What is it, boss? Did you need something?" Naruto said, "Do you think you are ready for the Chunin exams, Ko?" Konohamaru looked up at Naruto in surprise and said, "What? Why, boss?"

Naruto said, "You know that I've gone off for training in the last three years, so I wasn't able to make Chunin then, along with my class mates. So when I learned today that the Chunin exams are taking place next month, I decided to enter. However, Grandma Tsunade told me that I need at least one partner to take the exams with me. So I thought of asking you."

Konohamaru looked down to the ground and said apologetically, "Boss, as much as I would like to accompany you, I don't think I'm ready for the exams yet. I've only just mastered a couple of jutsus, and I don't think that I'm strong enough to fight in the exams. I mean, look at me. Do you honestly think I'm ready?"

Naruto said, "If you said yes, we would have a month to train. And to be bluntly honest with you, Ko, I'm as strong as a Chunin already, easily bordering on Jonin. If it wasn't necessary for the partner thing, I would already have registered myself for the exams. And think of how much stronger you would get in the one month of training that we would do."

Konohamaru's face brightened as he considered that. In the brief training that Naruto had given him, he had already learned the Rasengan. He wondered whether he could actually do it. Naruto pressed, "And it's not like I'll let you get injured or anything. I'll look after you, Ko. You just need to be there for the team's sake. And who knows, you might make Chunin the first in your batch. Think about it, and meet me at Ichiraku's today for lunch." That being said, Naruto vanished and Konohamaru returned to his teammates.

Naruto reached Ichiraku's and ordered a bowl of ramen. Ayame came to give him his ramen and said, "What's the matter, Naruto-kun? You look awfully down today." Naruto looked up at her and smiled sadly, "Hi, Ayame nee-san. It's just that I'm the only one in my batch who's remained a Genin till now. And even though I know that it doesn't mean I'm weak, it still remains my official position. And I want to change that soon. But I'm not sure if I'll be able to do it, considering that I need partners. I asked Konohamaru but he thinks he's too weak right now to participate. And I can't force him, ya know?"

Ayame ruffled his hair fondly and said, "Don't worry, Naruto-kun. I'm sure that everything will work out just fine. Have faith in yourself and in your comrades. Now, eat up before the ramen gets cold."

He smiled at her and said, "Thanks, Ayame nee-san. You always seem to find the right words to make me happier. Especially the word ramen."

Just then Konohamaru entered the restaurant. He found Naruto and sat in front of him, saying, "Let's do it." Naruto stared at him in surprise and Ayame smiled, suddenly seeing a younger version of Naruto inside Konohamaru. She went back to get another bowl of ramen for Konohamaru, who was telling Naruto, "I spoke to my team and they said that I should give it a shot. After all, I know that you won't let anything happen to me, so what's there to try? And I **can **get a lot stronger if you train me."

Naruto said, "Whoa whoa whoa whoa, time out. I'm happy that you are participating, but I'm not gonna be training you. We both are gonna be training under someone I know and trust. We need to work more on teamwork and knowing each other for the Chunin exams."

Konohamaru's face fell slightly, and Naruto quickly said, "But that doesn't mean I won't teach you any new jutsus. I have some cool stuff to teach you. So chin up, Ko!" He looked at the younger Genin's face, which had lit up like a firework, and smiled. Then Konohamaru asked, "So, who are we gonna be training with?"

Naruto said, "I'll need to talk to him about this, but I think we'll get him, alright. I'll tell you when he agrees." That being said, the two of them tucked in and had a wonderful lunch. Naruto paid for the meal, saying, "My treat, coz you just made my day." Konohamaru beamed and said, "Well, see you later then, boss!" He turned to leave and Naruto said, "Hey Ko." The younger Genin turned and said, "Yeah?" Naruto said, "Don't call me boss. Just call me Naruto or bro or something like that, alright?" Konohamaru nodded and said, "A-Okay bro!"

Naruto went back to the Ninja Ops and shunshined into Tsunade's office. She said exasperatedly, "What now, Naruto!" He said, "I found a teammate for the Chunin exams." She leaned forward in surprise and asked, "Who is it?" He replied, "Konohamaru."

Tsunade looked at him in astonishment and said, "Do you honestly think he will be ready for this?" Naruto shook his head and she asked, "Then why are you taking him?" Naruto said, "I need Kakashi sensei." The Hokage looked at him in shock again and said, "What for?" Naruto replied, "Kakashi sensei is a great teacher for improving teamwork and skills. And I know him well, and can work with him easily. Konohamaru also respects Kakashi sensei a great deal, and will no doubt flip if he hears that he is going to train with him."

Tsunade looked at his serious face and said, "I guess you're right. I'll schedule three weeks of training for you guys with Kakashi. Go and inform him personally." Naruto nodded and took off. She thought, 'The knucklehead might actually pull this off."

Naruto reached Kakashi's favorite haunt, and said, "Oye, Kakashi sensei!"

Kakashi looked back at him and smiled his eye smile, "Hey, Naruto. Did you need something?" Naruto nodded and said, "I need you to train Konohamaru and me for three weeks for the upcoming Chunin exams." Kakashi said, "What? But I can't take out three weeks out of my schedule! Lady Tsunade would kill me!"

Naruto smirked and said, "I covered all the bases this time, sensei. I already got her permission. So you don't need to worry at all." Kakashi relaxed and said, "Well, in that case, I guess there's no problem. But this training will be different then, won't it, Naruto? I'll have to focus it on teamwork." Naruto agreed, "I was expecting you'd say that. I already told Konohamaru that we would need to work more on teamwork."

Kakashi said, "Well then. Inform Konohamaru that we shall head out tomorrow at 8AM to the same place where you and Sakura trained." Naruto nodded and took off. Kakashi thought, 'Let's see what Konohamaru is made of. If he's half as persistent as Naruto is, then they'll make a fine team.'

Konohamaru almost jumped for joy when he heard Naruto saying that Kakashi was going to train them. "Are you positive, bro? Kakashi Hatake, The Copy Ninja, is going to train us?" Naruto nodded, smiling at Konohamaru's joy. He said, "Kakashi sensei is my teacher, after all. Make sure you respect him and learn everything he tells you with all your heart." Konohamaru said fiercely, "I would even give my life for training with one of the elite ninjas in the village!"

Naruto said, "Pack your bag. We're gonna be heading outside the village for the training. It's a place near the village but far enough that we will not be disturbed. So pack your tent and stuff. Meet me at the village gates at 9AM." Konohamaru said, "Sure, bro! I'll get started with the packing right away!"

Naruto went back home and found the door slightly ajar. He went in and found Ino watching TV, wearing one of Naruto's long shirts and nothing else. He blushed slightly as he saw her long shapely legs stretching out onto the small tea table in front of the couch. He crept in slowly, making no noise, which was no small feat for him. Ino was so absorbed in the TV show, she didn't even notice him. He stood behind her and then shut her eyes with his hands. Ino squealed and said, "Naruto?" He whispered in her ear, "Damn right!"

Then he went in front of her and said, "Come on, Ino. How could you leave the door open like that? Anyone could have come in. And where's your attention? A ninja must always be alert." She smirked at him and stood up. Because of her curves, his shirt strained at her bosom. He blushed moderately and she put her arms around his neck. She said, "Do you really think I didn't notice you? I was waiting for you to pull something on me, **ya know**. And I also saw your shadow when you were standing behind me. I'm not entirely dumb, unlike someone else in this room."

Naruto, who had been getting embarrassed that she had seen right through his attempt, suddenly yelled, "Hey! I'm not that dumb too!" She laughed and said, "You get upset so easily, Naruto-kun. Now I'll have to do something for you to make you happy again." He grinned at her and pulled her closer to him. She smiled and leaned in. They kissed each other, and she fell backwards onto the couch. He leaned in further and they continued the kiss. Just as things were starting to heat up, Naruto broke off and they both sighed.

Ino said, "Naruto, I know that you don't want to spoil our first time, but by that argument, we could end up waiting forever." Naruto sighed again and said, "I know, Ino. It's just that every time I get a weird feeling in my stomach telling me to stop. I don't even know why. I guess I'll just have to wait till it's gone."

Ino smiled and said, "You know I'm willing to wait forever for you."

The two of them went back to watching TV, Ino cuddling in to Naruto as he sat there, trying to ignore the fact that Ino wasn't wearing anything under that shirt of his. Then Ino got up to make dinner and he said, "I'll help." They both went off to the kitchen. Ino said, "Wait, I'll change into my apron." Naruto said, "I'll get started with cutting the vegetables." She smiled and went to her room. He couldn't help but watch her saunter as she went.

Naruto was just finishing cutting the vegetables when Ino came into the kitchen again. He looked back to see her and his eyes nearly fell out of their socket. He sucked his thumb which had begun bleeding heavily as he cut it. Ino was standing in front of him, wearing seemingly nothing but her apron and looking at him cutely. She said, "Is this nice?" He said, "If you're trying to make me desperate, then hell yeah. If you're trying to cook though, you'll need to wear something else, coz this is waaaaay too distracting."

She leaned in slightly and he noticed that she was wearing light innerwear underneath. Naruto said, "Go and change before my instincts take over." She went back and changed into some normal clothes before coming back and helping him with the dinner. Throughout this entire time, Naruto was thinking just one thing, "I am such an **idiot**!"

The two of them finished food and were digging into a carton of ice-cream, when suddenly Naruto's phone rang. He picked it up and said, "Yeah?" Tsunade's voice sounded on the other end. "Come to Ninja Ops immediately, Naruto." Hearing the seriousness in her voice, Naruto didn't question her and said, "I'll be there right away."

As Naruto changed into his uniform, he heard Ino's voice behind him, "What happened, Naruto? Something urgent?" He replied, "Grandma Tsunade called me in. Something must be up. I'll check it out and call you if I'm going to take time." He kissed her lightly before heading out. Ino went back and finished her ice-cream, wondering what the matter could be.

"That was fast, Naruto. How did you make it here so quickly? I imagine you must have taken time to change and all," Tsunade said, and he grinned. She remembered his secret and said, "Oh, right." Naruto said, "So, why did you call me in so late, Grandma?" She looked at him annoyed, and said, "I'm waiting for Kakashi and Sakura. And how many times have I got to tell you not to call me that!"

Naruto smirked. Just as he was going to make a cutting remark, Kakashi shunshined into the room. Sakura also entered the room at the same time, although she used the door. Kakashi inquired, "Anything urgent, Milady?"

Lady Tsunade said, "Well, I'll leave that up to you. I just received information from my spy network that Orochimaru is no more." Team 7 gaped at her and she said, "That's right. And Sasuke is the one who is said to have killed him." Naruto said, "What? Sasuke killed Orochimaru? Why?" The Hokage said, "I don't have a clue as of now, but I sure as hell intend to find out."

Sakura said, "Well, if Sasuke is no longer with Orochimaru, then what is he going to do now?" Tsunade looked at them, but Kakashi sighed and said, "He will probably try to kill Itachi. That is his lifelong goal, after all." Naruto and Sakura looked at their sensei, and he sighed. 'If only you would have not left the village, Sasuke, I could have helped you forget this stupid goal of yours.' Kakashi thought. Tsunade said, "We must remain vigilant. Itachi is yet a dangerous shinobi and if he captures Naruto for the Akatsuki, we can be sure that Sasuke won't be far behind." Sakura glanced at Naruto, who was looking determined. The knucklehead said, "Well, if that's what will happen, then why not stage a kidnapping with someone impersonated as Itachi? That way, we can get a lead on Sasuke as well."

Everyone stared at him in surprise and Tsunade began to speak, but Kakashi interposed, "It won't work. Sasuke has the Mangekyo Sharingan now, remember. His eyes are much stronger than they were before. He will see right through any attempt at an impersonation." Naruto nodded slowly and said, "Well, we just have to remain on watch then. Is there anything else, Grandma…" He blanched, as her right eyebrow twitched and she crackled her knuckles menacingly, and he quickly said, "I mean Tsunade nee-san!"

Sakura giggled slightly before the Hokage said, "Both of you can go now, I wish to speak to Kakashi alone." The two of them walked off, and Tsunade leaned in. She said, "Has Jiraiya spoken to you about Itachi?" Kakashi shook his head and said, "I haven't met Master Jiraiya in the past few days. It seems he has left the village again, but I have no doubt he will return soon, and tell me whatever there is to tell."

The Fifth Hokage closed her eyes, and seemed to recall something. Then she said, "It will take time for our plan to work. However, we must make sure that Naruto is not captured. At least, not so soon." Kakashi said, "Don't worry about that. Master Jiraiya said that he had a plan for Naruto when he came back. Presumably some more training."

Tsunade said, "By the way, I heard you accepted the training request Naruto put in for you?" Kakashi said, "Yes, I felt that it would greatly improve Naruto's strength as well as Konohamaru's. I've seen the potential in the grandson of the Third, and I'm sure that he can become an elite ninja too." Tsunade nodded and said, "Dismissed."

The next day, Naruto met Konohamaru at the gates. Konohamaru goggled at Ino, who was standing next to Naruto, wearing a simple tank top and shorts. Naruto smiled slightly and said, "Eyes off, Ko, that's my girl you're staring at." Konohamaru blushed and looked down, saying, "Sorry, bro, I didn't mean to..." Ino laughed at his embarrassment and he looked back up to see her standing right in front of him. She ruffled his hair and said, "It's okay, I'm used to this sort of stuff. You're like a brother to me, anyway, Ko."

Just then, Kakashi popped out of nowhere and Ino went back to Naruto, and whispered in his ear, "I'm waiting for you." He said, "I'll be back every day at least once." She stared at him in ludicrous surprise and he smirked, tapping his head and said, "Secret." She smiled and saw the three males take off, before walking over to Ichiraku's.

As Kakashi took the lead, Konohamaru asked Naruto, "When did you get together with Ino-san, bro?" Naruto said, "Some time back, after I had finished a week long mission at the Land of Waves." Konohamaru said, "She's really pretty, bro. I hope Moegi turns just as…" he blushed as Naruto looked at him and smirked. Naruto said, "Moegi, huh?" Konohamaru blushed even more and Naruto proceeded to torture him for the next ten minutes, before they reached the clearing.

Kakashi said, "Alright. Set up your tents and stuff. We'll meet up in exactly fifteen minutes from now. I'm going to get some fruits and water." The two of them nodded, Naruto frowning a little. As Kakashi disappeared, Naruto thought, "Sensei has been really quiet today. Did Grandma Tsunade say something to him?" Konohamaru was building his tent, so Naruto put the thought out of his head and went ahead with his own tent. He took out his scroll and released his tent. Konohamaru looked at him in awe and said, "Wow, bro! How did you do that?" Naruto smiled and said, "I'll teach you when we make Chunin." Konohamaru nodded enthusiastically.

After Kakashi came back and they began to plan stuff, the Sharingan master asked, "Now, first of all, I need to know your battle skills, Konohamaru. And the Sexy Jutsu is not part of your battle skills, so don't even think about it." Konohamaru looked mildly embarrassed and then said, "I know all the basic academy styles of TaiJutsu. Bro has begun teaching me the Hard Fist style, although I'm not really great at it. I also know the Rasengan, and the Shadow Clone Jutsu. My primary affinity is earth style, and I don't know my secondary affinity yet."

Kakashi uncovered his Sharingan and observed Konohamaru for a few seconds. He then said, "Your secondary affinity is lightning, the same as Naruto. That's good. I can teach you some lightning jutsus, while Naruto can improve upon those I taught him the last time." Naruto frowned and said, "But sensei, the last time, you said that I could use all of the lightning jutsus at their intended rank." Kakashi said, "But that does not mean that you can't make them even better. Knowing the amount of chakra you have, you can easily take out a couple of dozen or so shinobi with a single lightning jutsu."

Konohamaru stared at Naruto with his eyes wide, while Naruto tried to look modest. He said, "If you say so, sensei." Kakashi turned towards Konohamaru and said, "Meanwhile, I'll teach you some earth jutsus, mostly support style, so that you can distract Naruto's opponents during battle. That will make enemies think that you are a ranged fighter, and will be unprepared for your Rasengan if they get too close." Konohamaru nodded.

"Alright, then. Let's get started," Kakashi said.

As the day progressed, Naruto and Konohamaru learned to keep a look out for each other at all times. It was easier for Konohamaru, because he was smaller, and had a lesser chance of being attacked. And Naruto stood out, with his orange uniform, so he was in more danger of being attacked, anyway. Later Kakashi made them fight each other, made them create Shadow Clones, made the Shadow Clones fight each other, and so on. At the end of the first day, Konohamaru slumped to the ground and wheezed, "How are you still not tired, bro?" Naruto smiled, saying, "I'm a lot stronger than you, Ko. You are young, so don't worry about it. You're stamina will increase slowly as well. And I guess that by the time this training ends, you'll be stronger than any other Genin in the village." Konohamaru looked at him happily and thought, 'I made the right decision, to enter the Chunin exams.'

As Konohamaru went to sleep, Naruto said, "I'm going to stretch my legs, sensei. I'll be back in half an hour." Kakashi looked up from his book and said, "Alright, Naruto. See you." Naruto vanished.

Ino opened the door and an orange blur came in. She looked to see Naruto standing there, grinning at her. She smiled and said, "I didn't take you seriously when you said you would come by at least once. I guess I was wrong." She hugged him and then they sat on the couch, Ino asking, "So, what did you guys do?" Naruto said, "We trained to look after each other's back today. So that we can help each other in sticky situations." Ino nodded, knowing that this was really important when it came to teamwork. They continued to speak for some time, before Naruto said, "I better get going now. See you tomorrow, Ino-chan." He pecked her lips and was gone the next second. She sighed, 'Always so impatient, Naruto.'

The next day, Kakashi taught Konohamaru the Lightning Trident jutsu. Meanwhile, Naruto was focusing on creating his lightning tridents much larger in size. This was easier for him, what with his huge chakra supply. At the end of the day, Konohamaru had managed to create three small tridents of lightning, while Naruto had skewered several trees as he managed to create twelve huge tridents of deep purple lightning. Konohamaru said, "You're amazing, bro!" Naruto said, "Keep up your hard work, and you'll be able to do the same quite soon, Ko."

In the next few days, Konohamaru learnt two Earth jutsus, the Stone Jacket Jutsu and the Stone Spears Jutsu. Both could be used at long range, which allowed the enemy to be distracted. The Stone Jacket jutsu was a jutsu which opened up the ground next to the victim, and covered the victim with the stone up to his neck. The Stone Spears jutsu created large spears which erupted from the ground, impaling the victim. Kakashi was astonished at how fast Konohamaru learned from him. It was like Naruto all over again. After a week, Kakashi took a look at Konohamaru through his Sharingan and paled, 'His chakra reserves have almost surpassed mine! Incredible!'

Naruto had also learned the Earth jutsus and was able to master them easily too. Kakashi thought, 'Naruto is easily a Jonin level shinobi right now. If I could, I would just promote him directly to Chunin, without even making him take these stupid exams.'

Konohamaru felt himself get stronger and stronger every day. Soon, he was able to hold his own against Kakashi in a fair TaiJutsu fight, which was astonishing, since Kakashi knew over a hundred different TaiJutsu styles, having copied them from others. Naruto, meanwhile, had improved his Lightning and Wind jutsus to S-Rank level, far beyond their normal ranks which he had first learned.

In these three weeks, Naruto had also been training with his staff blade, and using it to improve his TaiJutsu styles, by mixing in the staff blade attacks with the Hard Fist and Iron Monk styles. Kakashi had recorded his movements with his Sharingan and was eager to try them out, once Naruto would make his weapon for him.

As the three weeks ended, Kakashi said, "Well done, you two. Konohamaru has improved way more than I thought he would. And Naruto already is a Chunin, just not officially. I will recommend you to attend the Chunin exams, you will no doubt make it through easily." And he thought, 'As long as Naruto doesn't fail the first test.'

The two of them high-fived and packed up their stuff. Naruto said, "Come on, Ko! Last one to Ichiraku's pays for the ramen!" Konohamaru said, "Ha! You're on, bro!" The two of them vanished and Kakashi smiled at them. The two of them reminded him of himself and Gai. 'Those were the days,' Kakashi thought, as he walked home slowly, feeling all the pain that he had been subjected to while fighting Naruto and Konohamaru in these last few weeks.

Naruto reached Ichiraku's first and popped in. He said, "Two bowls of ramen, old man!" Teuchi looked at him and said, "Naruto! Where were you, kiddo! I lost so much of business in the last month because you weren't there!" Just then Konohamaru came in and said, "I almost got you, bro. I'll beat you soon too!"

Teuchi blinked and said, "Is that you, Konohamaru? You've changed a lot. Where were you all this time?" The two of them said, "We were off training for the Chunin exams." Teuchi slid their bowls of ramen to them and said, "Well, best of luck for them, then. This time, I heard that the Mizukage and Kazekage will both be attending the exams. So make sure to put up one hell of a show." They both nodded, and Naruto said, "It'll be good to see Gaara again." Konohamaru paused, looking at him and saying, "Isn't that the creepy sand guy whose brother tried to beat me at the last Chunin exams here?" Naruto nodded and said, "He's the Fifth Kazekage now, so you better respect him. Although he's become very different now, ever since I fought him." Konohamaru smiled, "You're really awesome, bro."

As they exited Ichiraku's, Naruto said, "Well, Ko. Since we're gonna be a team now, we should wear something similar, ya know? To promote team spirit." Konohamaru said, "As long as it's not orange, I'll wear anything." Naruto shook his head disappointedly, and they went to Yoroi's clothing shop. An hour later, two different looking shinobi came out. Both were wearing jet black jumpsuits, and matching white overcoats, with a tribal red design on them and with their names printed on the back. They both walked off, and heads turned as they passed by.

Sakura was just leaving the hospital when she saw the two of them walk past, and she thought, 'Was that Naruto? Since when did he stop wearing orange? And who was that with him?' She followed the two of them, until they reached Konohamaru's house. His mother opened the door and said, "Who are you?" before realizing that it was her son. She hugged him and said, "You look so different, I didn't even recognize you! You look so grown up and handsome!"

Naruto felt awkward and turned away, suddenly missing his mother. Just then, a tap on his shoulder compelled him to turn around. Konohamaru's mother smiled at him warmly. She hugged him and said, "You're like a son to me too, Naruto. You've helped my son change so much. I hope that you will have a wonderful life ahead of you." Naruto smiled radiantly.

As he walked home, Naruto suddenly found himself face to face with Sakura. He said, "Oh hey, Sakura. What are you doing here?" Sakura said, "Well, I'll be. You look so much more different, Naruto. You actually look like a man now, compared to an orange scarecrow before." He yelled, "Hey! What was that?" She giggled. He scratched his cheek and said, "It's temporary. Only until the Chunin exams get over." Sakura said, "If you wear that orange uniform again, I'll make sure that I burn all of them." Naruto blanched.

"Anyway, I have to go now, Sakura, I need to fill out the forms for the Chunin exams." Sakura nodded, and said, "Best of luck, Naruto. I'll be there watching you, so make sure you give it your best." He took off, and she watched him go, wondering what this sudden light feeling in her heart was.

Naruto entered the Ninja Ops and knocked on Tsunade's office. She said, "Come in." Naruto entered, and Tsunade looked at him. She stared at him for a couple of minutes before joining her hands together and saying, "Release!" She tried it a couple more times and then said, "Naruto? Is it really you wearing something other than orange?" Naruto grumbled, "I do wear other colored clothes, ya know!"

"Well, at least you look more like a human now," Tsunade said. He said, "I need the form for the Chunin exams." She handed him the form and he took off. He went home and Ino opened the door. He kissed her and then came in. She blinked in surprise. "Naruto? What have you worn?" He said, "Like my new outfit? I made it for the Chunin exams." She said, "Damn! You look hot!" He blushed slightly and said, "Really?" She nodded and said, "If it weren't for that agreement to go slow…" He blushed even more and then sat down to fill the form. He filled in his name along with Konohamaru's. Ino said, "Let's go out somewhere. I'm bored of just training alone all this time." Naruto grinned.

**Author's Note**: Sorry for the delay, I was suddenly hit by writer's block. Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter, review and Happy Reading!


	19. Chapter 19: Naruto's Choice

**Author's Note**: Shout out to Laurie for her review. Thanks a lot :) Anyway, I wanted to say thanks to you guys for following my story. The only thing that peeves me is that more than a thousand people have read it so far and I still have only 29 reviews. :(

Well, never mind. I guess there's time before I get some more reviews, and I'm fully prepared to take any criticism as well. Please review, no matter whether it is good or bad. I always reply to reviews and try to explain my views to them. So, without further ado, here's my next chapter. Have fun and Happy Reading!

**Chapter 19: Naruto's Choice: Exams or Mission?**

The two of them went out for a date that evening, to celebrate Naruto's coming back to the village, although he had been coming back every evening. They went to a restaurant and dance club, called the Dancing Shuriken. The two of them had dinner and then Naruto asked her, "You wanna hit the dance floor?" Ino looked at him in surprise and said, "I didn't think you could dance. I never saw you at our academy dance lessons." He said, "I used to avoid those, because I didn't think anybody would wanna dance with me." She said, "I would have." He said, "Well, it's never too late, is it?"

Naruto led her to the dance floor and they began to dance. Ino was surprised at how well he could dance. She asked him, "Where did you learn to dance so well?" Naruto said, "The Pervy Sage taught me. When he realized I couldn't dance, he stopped all my training until I could dance. And I found myself enjoying it too." He and Ino got a wide berth as the other people admired their speed and grace. The two of them finished dancing on a particularly jazzy number and Naruto dipped Ino low. He kissed her lightly, and they both returned to their table to tumultuous applause. Both blushed slightly, never having kissed in public before.

"Damn, they're good," the brunette woman looked at her paramour and said. He nodded and said, "Where did he learn to dance like that? He never attended the dance classes at the academy." The brunette turned to him and said, "Thank god we weren't noticed by that knucklehead before we could transform. He would've tormented me the rest of my life if he would have found out." Her boyfriend nodded, "I know, Anko. If he had seen me, it was all over too."

The disguised Anko and her mysterious boyfriend exited the restaurant, preparing to have a night of fun, when suddenly Shizune appeared in front of them and said, "Lady Tsunade needs to see you, Anko." Anko feigned indifference and began walking off, but Shizune caught her hand and said, "Stop fooling around. It's urgent." Anko sighed and released her transformation, as did her boyfriend. She said to him, "Go on home, I'll meet you later." Shizune took off, and Anko followed her.

Ino and Naruto walked home almost at midnight when suddenly, Sakura shunshined in front of them. They stared at her in surprise and she said, "Naruto, Ino. The Hokage has called. It's urgent." The two of them looked at her and nodded. They took off to the buildings at once. Sakura blinked; she wasn't aware that Ino was so fast. She headed to Ninja Ops too.

Tsunade stood in front of the office, where a small amount of ninjas were standing. She said, "Everyone, go down to the interrogation rooms below the Ninja Ops. I'll meet you there shortly." They nodded and headed down. Naruto noticed Kakashi and went to him. "What's up, Kakashi sensei?" Kakashi said, "I don't know, Naruto. But it seems to be something urgent. All the clan leaders are here, as are all our teams. Something major has gone down."

Ibiki stepped out of the interrogation room and bade them all to sit in the adjoining room. As they looked through the glass between the two rooms, they noticed a man sitting in a chair, bound to it, with a Sound headband on his forehead. They suddenly realized what was up. Well, most of them realized it. Just then, Tsunade stepped into the room and behind her came…

"Gaara!" Naruto yelled happily as he rushed to meet his friend. Gaara smiled back at him and said in his slow voice, "Long time, no see, Naruto. How are you?" Naruto said, "I'm fine, Gaara. But what are you doing here?" Gaara said, "I was going to attend the Chunin exams, didn't you know?" Naruto said, "Oh yeah, now I remember old man Teuchi telling me. But I meant, what are you doing here, in this room?" Then he noticed Temari and Kankuro standing behind them and greeted them as well.

Kankuro said to Naruto, "How're you doin' kid?" and Shikamaru groaned as he saw Temari shoot him a look. Tsunade counted to thirty in her head before exploding, "Get back to your seat, knucklehead! This is urgent!" Naruto blanched and shunshined into his seat. The Sand Siblings went to the front seats and sat down. Tsunade said, "All right, settle down. This is an X-Rank situation we have here."

Everyone except Gaara looked surprised and a few vocalized, "What's that?" Tsunade looked at Gaara and he said, "It is a mission which requires the direct action of a Hokage or the joint action of two villages." Everyone looked at him, amazed, and he said, "The Council of Shadows has decided that any such mission which requires the co-operation of two villages will be deemed as an X-Ranked mission."

Tsunade continued, "The man sitting in the interrogation room is known as Shin Busata. He is from the True Sound Village." Anko said, "What is this crap?" Tsunade continued as though she had not heard Anko, "What I am about to share with all of you is classified information. I presume everyone here is aware of Orochimaru?" Everyone nodded, and some of them looked briefly at Anko. She stared back at them in response and they shuddered. Tsunade said, "Well, after Orochimaru's death, the Sound village has seemingly been divided into two parts. One part of the village is led by Kabuto Yakushi, Orochimaru's right hand man. He has many loyal followers as well. But the other side is seemingly the True Sound Village, which consists of people who are not loyal to him and may have not been loyal to Orochimaru as well."

Anko stood, "I asked, what is this bullshit?" Everyone stared at her. Tsunade said, "If you would let me finish, you'd know. Ibiki, go in and make Shin repeat his story." Anko sat down, looking suspiciously at the prisoner. Ibiki went in and the shinobi who was tied to the chair blanched. Then Ibiki turned on his mic and the shinobi said, "My name is Shin Busata. I am from the True Sound Village, a faction of ninjas who are against the tyrannical rule of Kabuto Yakushi."

He continued, "The Sound Village was not the idea of Orochimaru. It was my parents' dream. My mother was from the Hidden Mist village. My father, as you may know, was Jiro Busata, a medical ninja from this very village. My mother had abandoned her village because of their cut throat nature. She was chased by her people until my father saved her. He was severely injured in the process. My mother took care of him with what little medical NinJutsu she had, until he was strong enough to heal himself. Through this time, they both fell in love and decided to get married."

"Some time later, my grandfather died, leaving my mother everything that he owned. My mother returned to her village, long enough to sell everything and come back. My father, who had abandoned this village because of personal reasons unknown to me, took her to the Land of Rice Paddies. There they lived for a while, until my father made a decision. He decided to make a village. It would be unlike any other village. It would be a village where anyone could come and learn ninja arts, as long as they gave something else in return."

"They collected a huge number of scrolls and books about the Ninja Arts. This of course, drew Orochimaru's attention. He joined our village. My parents had no idea that he was a traitor to this village. They were honored that a Sannin was willing to help them. Orochimaru started taking in followers and slowly established the village, while my parents gathered more information. However, they slowly realized that Orochimaru was practicing Necromancy and human experiments, they started distancing themselves from him."

"A few years ago, my father decided to stop Orochimaru's weird experiments. Although my mother knew in her heart that they would not return alive, she went with him. She had warned us never to cross Orochimaru. And of course, he killed them. We couldn't do anything, because we were often sent on mundane missions, while Orochimaru sent his faithful soldiers on dangerous missions. So while we have the knowledge, we have no real experience."

"But now, with Orochimaru gone, we have decided to ask the Leaf and Sand villages to assist us in overthrowing the tyranny of Kabuto Yakushi. We do not have the means to pay you in full, but we will make our library available to both the villages for a full year as payment."

Anko snorted, "You don't really believe this load of crap, do you?" Tsunade said, "What do you mean, Anko?" Anko yelled, losing her temper, "I MEAN, OROCHIMARU ISN'T DEAD!" She pulled her fishnet armor down, not caring that it showed most of her bosom, as long as her Curse Mark was exposed. "I can still feel this burning onto my skin every day, every minute, every second. If this seal is there, it means that Orochimaru is not dead. This is nothing but a trap."

Tsunade said, "I have a report from my spy network which clearly states that Orochimaru is no more. Sasuke killed him. And I trust my network. Also, Shin is being subjected to a lot of GenJutsus right now. It is impossible for him to lie." Anko said, "It's not possible. Or else I would have been rid of this pain. This terrible curse, that has been part of me for so many years."

Tsunade continued, "And I also knew Jiro Busata quite well. He was on the Medical Council with me during the Third Great Ninja War. I always thought it was weird that Orochimaru wanted to establish a village. He never was a socialite."

Shizune said gently, "Anko, we don't really know that the seal will be released on Orochimaru's death. It could maybe take weeks or months to fade away. Or it may be permanent. We can't tell at the moment." Anko still wasn't convinced, but sat down nevertheless. She turned away from Kankuro, who was busy staring at her mostly uncovered chest. Gaara said, "We have already considered that this may well be a trap. Busata's plan calls for eight teams, more or less. This is why the two of us have decided to send six teams each. This will prevent too many casualties to one village if it is a trap, and in the event that it is not, both the villages will benefit from the success of this mission."

Tsunade said, "Gaara will be leading this mission himself. You will be split into teams as per orders. Are there any questions?" Naruto raised his hand and Tsunade asked, "What is it, knucklehead?" He said, "What about the Chunin exams?" She froze, remembering that he was supposed to participate. She said, "I'll talk to you about that later. We plan to mask the attack behind the Chunin Exams. Anything else?" Nobody said anything so she dismissed everyone except Naruto and the Sand siblings. She said, "Naruto, this is an extremely important mission. If you would be there in this mission, it could change the outcome of the mission radically. On the other hand, I know that you have been waiting for this chance a long time. I cannot force you right now. You must make this decision on your own."

Gaara put his hand on Naruto's shoulder and said in his slow and reassuring manner, "Don't worry about it, Naruto. If you feel like you want to attend the Chunin exams, we will do our best not to make it difficult for you. But if you are going to be part of this mission, I have specially requested you to be in my team. You see, Kabuto is also at fault for killing my father. So this is quite personal for me." Temari shuddered at the gleam of hatred in her brother's pale green eyes. Naruto said sadly, "It is not at all a problem for me. Both of you should know by now that I have always put this village before me. It is my Ninja Way. I'm feeling bad about Konohamaru. He will feel awful about this." Tsunade said, "Don't worry. I'm sure that Konohamaru will understand. After all, he shares your dream to become Hokage."

Gaara smiled, and Naruto said sadly, "Then I'll do it. After all, it's the sort of choice a Chunin would make, isn't it?" Tsunade said, "Naruto, whatever happens, I'll make sure that you attend the next Chunin exams. Even if I have to bust Sakura or Ino back to Genin to do it." Naruto nodded sadly and said, "I'll go and tell Konohamaru." The two Kages nodded and he left.

Naruto knocked on Konohamaru's house door and waited. A few moments later, Konohamaru's mother opened the door. She said, "Naruto? What are you doing here so late?" He said, "I need to speak to Ko." She said, "But you are going for the Chunin exams later today, right? Why not speak to him then?" Naruto replied, "We aren't going to the Chunin exams. Not anymore." His seriousness made her realize that something was up and she invited him in. he sat on the couch and she went to wake Konohamaru up.

Konohamaru came down the stairs and said, "Is something wrong, bro?" Naruto nodded and said sadly, "I'm really sorry Ko. I gave you high hopes of becoming a Chunin and now I have to do this." Konohamaru blinked and said, "What happened? Why are you saying this?" Naruto said heavily, "I can't go to the Chunin exams with you, Ko."

Konohamaru just stood there, his world shattered around him. He looked at Naruto with anger in his eyes. He turned to walk away, but Naruto shunshined next to him. Ko lashed out in anger, and blinked in surprise as Naruto doubled over. He hadn't expected Naruto to take the hit. Naruto wheezed, "Listen Ko. I know you must be upset. But there's a reason for this. Didn't you wonder why I would wake you up at 2AM to tell you this?"

Konohamaru said with tears forming in his eyes, "Why? Why can't you go for the exams? After all I did, to help you? After all we went through together in training? Why?"

Naruto replied, "Because I've been assigned a mission which is higher than S-Rank difficulty. And if I go, the entire village could benefit from it."

Konohamaru's eyes went wide as he heard that. A mission with a rank higher than S-Rank? Naruto said, "I know that this news will surprise you. But Grandma Tsunade told me that the mission might fail if I was not there." Konohamaru said, "Is it really that important? Can the village be affected by it?"

Naruto said, "If this mission fails, then we could be in dire jeopardy. And if we succeed, then our village will become much stronger." Konohamaru said, "Well, why didn't you say so right away? If the village is at stake, then it doesn't matter if I become Chunin or not. Don't worry, bro! I will be ready for the next Chunin exams and we will ace them!" Naruto smiled and suddenly hugged his self-appointed younger brother. Konohamaru hugged him back, and his mother looked at them, happy tears in her eyes to see her son matured so much.

Konohamaru said, "Hey bro? If this mission is so important, why not include me as well? You know that I've gotten stronger now." Naruto stared at him and then shouted like a maniac, "Of course! Why didn't I think of it? Wait here, Ko, I'll go and ask Grandma Tsunade right away!" And he vanished before Konohamaru could blink.

"Grandma Tsunade!" Naruto yelled. She looked at him and said, "What? Can't you see I'm busy?" He stopped short and looked at the rest of the people around. He said, "I have a request." She said, "What is it?" He replied, "I want Konohamaru to be included in this mission."

Tsunade stared at him incredulously. She said, "Are you mad? He's just a child, and a Genin at that!" Naruto smirked and said, "If being Genin means you can't go for this mission, then I won't be able to go too!" She stared at him and then said, "What is this childishness, Naruto?"

He then said seriously, "Grandma, Konohamaru has come a long way since our training began. Ask Kakashi sensei here; he will tell you Ko's current abilities." Tsunade said, "Is he really that good, Kakashi?" Kakashi nodded and said, "Konohamaru would ace the Chunin exams. He has almost higher chakra reserves than me now, and knows at least four jutsus of A-Rank level. He is also a natural close combat monster, just like his father, and he shares the same stupid brilliance and tenacity of Naruto. He would do well in this mission."

Tsunade said, "But…" Naruto interrupted, "You've taken away his chance to become a Chunin. At least let him help in the mission which destroyed that chance."

Tsunade sighed and nodded, "Ok then. Tell him to get ready, Naruto. He will leave along with the rest of you tomorrow." Naruto nodded joyfully, and vanished. Tsunade said, "I'll put him with you, Kakashi, so you can take care of him." Kakashi nodded, knowing Konohamaru's weaknesses and thinking, 'This will make up for him missing the exams.'

The next morning at dawn, all the teams were assembled in front of the village. Gaara and Tsunade stood in front of them and Gaara said, "My teams shall meet you at the Land of Rice Paddies. From there on, we shall proceed to the Sound Village, led by Shin Busata. Our primary target is Kabuto Yakushi. My team will personally go after him. The rest of the teams will help the True Sound Village defeat Kabuto's followers." Everyone nodded and Lady Tsunade said, "Then go and make our village proud." Everyone said, "HAI!" and took off.

The ninjas all stopped at the Land of Rice Paddies, where the Sand team joined them, led by Baki. Then they followed Shin to the mountains where he said, "Be careful now. These mountains are quite dangerous. If you take the slightest wrong step, you will fall and die." Everyone nodded and proceeded slowly.

"Hey Gaara, where's Kankuro? I see Temari, but not him. What's up?" Naruto asked the Fifth Kazekage. Gaara looked at him in brief surprise before remembering that he wasn't there when the Hokage and he had discussed about it. He said, "Kankuro will be taking on my appearance as the Kazekage during the Chunin exams. We cannot disappoint our Genin, after all." Naruto nodded, and looked briefly at Konohamaru who just nodded at him in determination. Naruto said, "All right then. Let's go."

As they entered some caverns, Shikamaru said, "What is this place?" Shin said, "The entrance to the Sound Village is well placed. It cannot be accessed from anywhere except here." They silently made their way through the caverns, when Shin suddenly raised his hand to stop them. He said, "Five of Kabuto's followers. They are guarding the cave ahead. Keep an eye on them and be ready to take them out. I will distract them."

Gaara's team, which consisted of Naruto, Sakura, Neji and himself, came forward a little. Gaara started pooling his sand slowly behind the guard who was watching for intruders. As Shin walked right in, one guard said, "Well well well. Look who it is. Shin Busata. So you decided to come back, you traitor?" Another guard said, "Just kill him, it's what our orders are anyway." Shin said, "So, you would kill me, Niruko?" Niruko stared at him and said, "You speak to me as though I were your friend. How dare you? I'll give Lord Kabuto your head on a platter, you filthy traitor!" But before she could move, the sand which had been pooled near the feet of the guards rose up and covered two of them. At the same time, Sakura and Neji fell the other two guards with well thrown kunai.

Gaara closed his hand, and his sand did the job. As they looked at the last guard, she removed her headband and replaced it with the one which Shin wore. Shin said, "How did you know she was with me?" Sakura said, "She was the only one you didn't look at." Shin nodded and the girl threw herself at him and kissed him furiously. He managed to break apart, blushing deeply red at the public display, as were some of the other ninjas. He said, "Chiasa, not now!"

Chiasa said, "I thought you wouldn't return! I was so worried!" He said, "Now is not the time to worry. The Leaf and Sand villages have agreed to assist me in freeing our village. We must inform the rest of our people." Chiasa said, "There has been unrest in our people for some time now. They just want to get it over with quickly. Kabuto has begun taking people from our side to experiment on. He doesn't care how many die as long as he learns something new." Shin said, "Then let's teach him a lesson." Gaara said, "How long before the guard is rotated?" Shin said, "Two hours."

Chiasa said, "Twenty minutes," and Shin looked at her in surprise. "Kabuto changed the timing of the rotations," she explained.

"Then we better hurry," Shin said. Gaara nodded and they continued into the village, taking out the guards slowly but surely. They finally made it into the village and Shin said, "I shall go and inform my people of the attack. We will come back here and report. After that, we will start the attack by taking the armory first."

Gaara said, "My team will go in pursuit of Kabuto. The rest of you will fight against his followers. Make sure you know who you are fighting. The True Sound's headbands are different from the Sound's." Everyone nodded and Shin and Chiasa disappeared. Gaara quickly said, "Alright everyone. This may still be a trap so be prepared for anything."

However, a few minutes later, Shin returned with around fifty people behind him. He said, "These are my comrades. They will fight alongside you and provide help. Although we are not very skilled, we can hold our own until someone from your teams can help us out." Gaara nodded and said, "Split up!"

His team went over to one side while Kakashi and the rest of the people went up to the other side. Kakashi said, "We will look for pockets of battle and fight against Kabuto's servants. Everyone split into the teams that have been decided."

They split up. The Leaf teams were as follows:

1)Kiba, Shino and Sai along with Konohamaru. They were headed by Kakashi.

2)Anko, Iruka and Yugao. They were a team before, when they were Genin.

3)Ino, Shikamaru and Choji. They were headed by Temari.

4)Lee, Tenten and Hinata along with Gai. Hinata substituted for Neji.

5)Genma, Raido and Aoba. They were a fully functional Jonin team.

6)Shikaku, Choza, Inoichi. They were the original Ino-Shika-Cho formation.

The Sand villages also had their teams ready. Gaara looked at Matsuri and Natsuki. He said, "Matsuri, a moment." She came up to him and he said in a low voice, "Please be careful. I don't want anything to happen to you." She stared at him in surprise and then blushed, before saying quietly, "Of course, Gaara-san." He nodded at her and she went back in her place. Natsuki came up to him and said, "If you don't mind sir, I would like to be with you. As your bodyguard, I should not be separated from you." He said, "I am being guarded by three of the Leaf's finest shinobi, who I trust more than my life." And then he looked over at Matsuri again before saying to Natsuki, "And I want you to look after Matsuri. She has never been in a war before, I can't let her die. You will look after her as you would look after me." Natsuki nodded and went back.

Gaara turned around to see Naruto smirking at him. "So, Matsuri, huh, Gaara. You sly dog, you!" Naruto said, and Sakura and Neji were appalled at his attitude. But Gaara simply blushed and said, "Well, she is special to me." Sakura and Neji almost fell through the ground. Naruto nodded and said, "Just like Ino is special to me." Gaara smiled and said, "Alright. It's time. Let's give Kabuto what's coming to him."


	20. Chapter 20: Uchiha Showdown

**Chapter 20: Uchiha Showdown**

"Are you sure this is the place?" Suigetsu asked dubiously. Karin threw a kunai at him angrily. Out of deference for Sasuke and their upcoming fight, she missed on purpose. They stood outside a fort, with the Uchiha emblem on the front wall.

"Are you sure, Karin?" Sasuke asked. She turned to him and said confidently, "Of course, Sasuke-kun. His trace is the most recent over here. Although tracking by chakra isn't easy, and his trail is still strongest near the Leaf Village, I'm sure that if he isn't here, he was here a couple of days ago."

Sasuke nodded and touched her shoulder appreciatively. Karin's grin turned lecherous as she reached for his thigh. He frowned, as if to say, "Not now."

"If you idiots are done…" Suigetsu sighed, and Karin shot him another angry look. Just then she sniffed and said, "DUCK!" All of them ducked and a giant sword wrapped in cords flew over their heads. They looked at the sword and then turned to see Kisame Hoshigaki standing in front of them.

"So, I have to go through you to get to Itachi?" Sasuke said angrily. Kisame shook his head and said, "Itachi always did believe in fair fights. You are free to go, I am here to stop these two." He turned to Suigetsu, who was holding the Samehada in his hands now. Kisame waved his hand and Samehada tore itself through Suigetsu's hands and returned to him. Suigetsu raised his eyebrow and looked at his hands, before they regenerated. He said, "I must have that sword."

Kisame grinned, showing sharp teeth, and said, "I see you have Raiga and Zabuza's swords already. But I don't think you've earned them yet, boy. I knew your father. He was quite irritating, you know. I always felt bad that I didn't get to kill him myself. I guess you might be able to substitute for him, though."

Sasuke looked at Karin in concern. She smiled inwardly, but shooed him on, saying angrily, "Get going, Sasuke-kun! We'll hold him off!" Sasuke nodded, and went inside the fort. He went through all the rooms, ignoring all the ancient scrolls and books that were being held in them. He had eyes only for one person, and that was…

"I see you finally made it, brother." Itachi said. He was sitting in the hall, right in the center of the fort. Sasuke snorted and put his hands together, saying, "Release." He looked at Itachi, his eyes red, with three black tomoe, and said, "Did you really think I would fall for that?"

Itachi appeared behind him and said, "It was a test. Any person who enters an Uchiha stronghold must prove his identity by dispelling the GenJutsu cast here. I didn't create it. Our ancestors did." Sasuke jumped back and Itachi smiled at him. "I see you have become stronger, brother. Are you ready to challenge me again, though? You see, while you betrayed your village and trained under Orochimaru, I was gaining strength through our ancestors' many teachings. And I thought I told you to come find me when you had the same eyes that I do."

Sasuke smiled and said, "Well, there's only one way to find out who's stronger now." He suddenly threw four kunai around Itachi who frowned. But then Sasuke also released a quartet of shurikens and each of them hit the kunais which converged on Itachi. The older brother quickly dispatched his own kunais, which not only deflected all the kunai and shurikens which Sasuke had thrown, but also continued to strike Sasuke in his arms. Sasuke quickly removed the kunais from his arms.

Itachi said, "Was that just to show off your mastery of the Uchiha Deflection technique? Because I am not at all impressed. You still have a long way to go." He then frowned as he saw the gashes on Sasuke's arms healing almost immediately. He said, "That is something new. Is it a new element of your Curse Mark, or a jutsu of some sort?"

Sasuke shook his head and exposed his neck at Itachi, saying, "I got rid of the Curse Mark. I found a source of greater power." He charged in and started attacking Itachi. The older sibling simply dodged his attacks and Sasuke suddenly fell back, signing, and said, "Lightning Style: Thunder Bombs!" Three small orbs of lightning struck Itachi and he went rigid for a couple of seconds. Then he said, "Quite ingenious. I see those orbs follow my directions, because they are attracted to the metal in my reinforced robes. But they are too weak to harm me. What's next? The Fireball Jutsu?"

Sasuke signed again, and said, "How about this! Water Style: Snake Pit Jutsu!" Suddenly, a pit appeared under Itachi and several dozen vipers erupted out of it. They completely enveloped the Akatsuki member. After the last snake had taken his bite, a black flame suddenly emerged from the older Uchiha, and all the snakes were completely incarcerated. Itachi looked at his younger brother, pale and unbalanced from the many poisons coursing through his body, but he did not look worried.

Sasuke frowned, saying, "You've been bitten by nearly three dozen snakes. You'll die in a moment. Aren't you afraid? Or are you trying to be brave in front of me?" Itachi laughed, and then coughed, "The Akatsuki is not just a random group of terrorists, you know. We have many resources, one of them being a scientist who developed a universal antivenin for us."

Itachi drew an extremely tiny bottle and took a gulp of the liquid in it before Sasuke could move. His face cleared and he straightened, stretching his back. But he still bled from the punctures on his body. Sasuke charged, aiming a punch at Itachi's face, but the older brother simply caught his arm and threw him away towards the wall. Sasuke landed on his feet and signed, "Lightning Style: Lightning Trident Jutsu!" He thrust his hand towards Itachi and three huge bolts of lightning emerged. Itachi ducked under the first one, dodged the second and caught the third with a flame wrapped hand.

"Interesting," Itachi mused. He said, "You have gotten much stronger. But brother, the Uchihas are supposed to be masters of the Fire Style." As Sasuke landed from the wall, Itachi signed, faster than Sasuke could see, and said, "Fire Style: Inferno Supernova." A giant ball of flames, twice as big as the Fireball Jutsu spread out from Itachi's hands and advanced towards Sasuke, expanding in a perfect sphere.

Sasuke signed quickly and said, "Water Style: Water Wall!" and created a weak water barrier to hold off the ball of flames. As the water barrier collapsed, Sasuke's eyes went wide as the second ball appeared in front of him, head on. He managed to move slightly out of the way, and his entire left arm was burnt.

Sasuke tore of his ignited shirt with his right hand, even as his left started to regenerate. Itachi smirked, "The supernova bursts thrice. But I chose to limit it to two times. The third would have been overkill." Sasuke snorted, "Unless you're too weak to do it thrice." Itachi smiled at the impudence and Sasuke signed, "Fire Style: Fire Trace!"

Four lines of flames converged on Itachi, who simply leapt over the flames. And then his eyes widened in shock as…

"CHIDORI!" Sasuke roared and his hand went right through Itachi's stomach.

But as Sasuke grinned, so did Itachi. The older Uchiha burst into flames and Sasuke pulled his hand behind, but not before they were charred. Even as his fingers began to regrow, Itachi stepped forward and said, "Fire Clone Jutsu. One of the many secrets held in this fort. But I suppose there was no one to teach you."

Hearing Itachi's mocking voice, Sasuke went mad with rage and charged towards his brother, pumping copious amounts of chakra in his legs to increase his speed. He aimed a right cross at his brother's face and a Lightning chakra laced jab at Itachi's neck. The first swing missed as Itachi ducked, but the jab caught him on his shoulder. Itachi gently placed his hand on Sasuke's stomach and pushed. Sasuke landed five feet behind and Itachi waited.

"Stop toying and fight me like a man!" Sasuke yelled.

Itachi sighed and said, "Foolish brother, this is the way a master of the Sharingan fights. Always observe your opponent, copying any jutsu they have worth learning. Let your opponent tire themselves out before they face you, too exhausted to move. Then finish it with a single blow."

He smirked and said, "Only engage in battle if your opponent is physically superior or had a power you cannot copy. Even then, it is only necessary if it is a desperate choice." Sasuke bristled at the implicated insult and engaged Itachi in another series of TaiJutsu. But Itachi dodged every one of his attacks until he guided Sasuke to a wall and pinned him to it.

"I guess this is your limit, then brother. Thank you for the Lightning Trident Jutsu. You have grown much stronger in the last few years… Maybe, just maybe, you might be able to defeat me the next time. Tsukuyomi."

Sasuke's world turned over, as white became black and black became white. He looked at this stark world, recognizing it from the last time. He looked at Itachi who said, "Welcome home, Sasuke." Just then, two hands grabbed Sasuke from behind and started tearing the flesh from his back and stomach. He turned his head slightly and saw his parents, seemingly smiling at him while continuing to tear at his flesh. Sasuke smiled at Itachi and said, "It took you long enough."

His eyes suddenly expanded, the three tomoe in his eyes rotating before they transformed into three daggers, which met in the middle of his eyes. He looked at Itachi. "Mangekyo Sharingan. Tsukuyomi."

Itachi's eyes went wide, as his parent stopped attacking their younger son, and advanced towards him. As he attempted to break through, even more zombies started appearing and tearing him into little pieces. Itachi tried to shatter the GenJutsu but he could not. Sasuke's hate fueled world was too strong. Though he knew that the zombies were illusions, he could not deny the pain.

Only a couple of seconds passed in the real world, but Itachi felt as though he had been killed thousands of times. He could barely stand up straight and was panting hard. "How…how did you…you break fr…free?" he said, "And how di…did you stop m…me from break…breaking through?"

"Research." Sasuke answered with a smirk. A drop of blood dotted his left eye, which he wiped and stared at Itachi. Like his older brother, Sasuke's color was drained from his face, but he was not panting. He waited for his brother to collapse, but Itachi was not ready to die just yet.

"You may have found a different way of using the Tsukuyomi, "Itachi wheezed, "But you still have not mastered the technique well enough to break me."

"You are in no shape to fight," Sasuke said monotonously, "So it doesn't matter anyway." He dropped into his favorite stance and lightning began crackling around his right hand. Itachi said, "Not yet."

Sasuke's eyes widened, and Itachi's mouth twitched upwards. Having got the fraction of a second he needed, Itachi's left eye's pinwheel design started spinning and all his cuts, punctures and bruises began to travel up his body. After a second more, he stood up, in a pristine state. In the brief second that Sasuke stared at him, his older brother cracked his knuckles and said, "Shall we?"

His chakra nearly exhausted, Sasuke physically attacked again. This time his attacks were more precise, and Itachi was forced to actively block instead of simply dodging. Sasuke aimed a double snap kick, stabbing his right foot at his enemy's stomach and then neck. The older brother deflected the first shot with his hand, and leaned back to avoid the second. Sasuke threw his body back into a side aerial, and his left foot connected with Itachi's chin. But the weak attack did not deter the former ANBU leader, and while his brother was still upside-down, Itachi's right fist struck the teen's left temple.

His head ringing and his acrobatics disrupted, Sasuke barely managed to land on his feet. Itachi stepped in, slamming his elbow into his opponent's solar plexus. Sasuke's hand snapped up, and the back of Itachi's knuckles struck Sasuke's nose, nearly breaking it. Sasuke attempted to grab his brother's wrist, to flip him into the wall. But Itachi turned his grip around, using the pressure point on the back of Sasuke's hand to immobilize the youth long enough to land a hard side thrust kick to the younger man's lower spine. Sasuke felt his legs going numb, but managed to score a moderate blow to Itachi's retreating knee.

Sasuke was now getting desperate. He admitted it; Itachi had longer reach and strength than him. There was only one option left. He summoned a very specific serpent, which disgorged a familiar sword into Sasuke's hand. Itachi stared at it with a brief hint of surprise.

"So, you even managed to take the Kusanagi from Orochimaru," Itachi said. "I wonder how this will fare?" He reached back and Sasuke readied himself, but Itachi drew his ANBU chokuto from its shoulder hoister, under his Akatsuki robe.

"I'm going to tell you a little secret now, brother," Itachi said, "The ANBU Black Ops were created by the man who would later go on to be the Second Hokage. He possessed a sword made by the Murasame clan, the clan famous for their nearly unworkable Weapon Forge Jutsu. The soldiers of ANBU all carry copies of the sword of the Second Hokage. The original sword was given to the leader of the ANBU and was preserved with care. That is, until I took it with me when I left."

"Let's see how your infamous sword works against my secret sword."

Itachi slashed at Sasuke's chest, and Sasuke blocked the weak attempt with Kusanagi. He slashed back in response and Itachi stepped back. He frowned as his weak dodge worked, and decided to test it. He kept dodging the blade, keeping a distance, but remaining open. Sasuke attempted to get close to him every time, until Itachi realized.

He sighed and said, "You don't even know how the Kusanagi works, do you? Just like the Mangekyo Sharingan, a tool you acquired, but have no clue how to use properly. Whereas I can use this blade in the manner it is intended to be used."

He reached out and tapped Sasuke's shoulder with the flat of the blade. A deep sonic vibration was emitted from the sword, and Sasuke felt his shoulder shatter. Itachi smirked and said, "The sword emits a sonic pulse which tears the point of contact down into individual cells and then destroys those cells. Due to your regeneration, it won't be as effective on you as it would on other people."

Itachi started out in a fencing position and struck out at Sasuke's chest, knocking aside Kusanagi as he did so. The shockwave went throughout Sasuke's chest, crushing his ribs and hitting his heart. The younger sibling rolled back, wheezing slightly, keeping Orochimaru's sword between him and Itachi.

Itachi said, "That would have killed most people. You're lucky."

He pressed the attack, repeatedly striking Sasuke's limbs until Sasuke's regeneration could not keep up. Finally Itachi kicked Sasuke in the ribs, forcing him onto his back. "I can sense that Kisame has finished by now. I guess I should get back to work then." He stepped up to his younger brother, aiming his sword at Sasuke's head. "You have grown stronger, I'll give you that, brother. Maybe you might defeat me the next time, that is, if you have someone to teach you, having betrayed Orochimaru, as well as our village." He stabbed, and Sasuke fell unconscious.

"Are you done?" Kisame asked as Itachi walked out.

"I am satisfied with his progress. One day, he might be worth enough to justify this effort." Itachi countered, as he coughed and stumbled to his knees. The shark-like man looked at him in surprise and saw numerous bruises and injuries appearing on Itachi's body.

"Itachi, those wounds…" Kisame said, mildly concerned as he gave his hand to the Leaf shinobi to help him up. Itachi leaned against a wall, waiting for his vision to stabilize, before saying, "Sasuke took me by surprise. I was forced to use Suseri." He grinned sardonically and said, "If he hadn't wasted so much of his chakra in the beginning of his fight, he would have killed me."

Kisame looked at him incredulously, and Itachi said, "Help me. We must go before he comes to his senses. I can't let him know how close he came to winning. He must strive to become stronger, or he won't be worthy enough." Then he looked at the mess that Kisame had made outside and said, "Oh God. Did you really…"

Kisame gave Itachi his shoulder to lean on and said, "They were quite strong, you know. I was surprised how good that guy was. I had to use **it**." Itachi stared at him and Kisame nodded gravely. The two of them walked away slowly, Itachi setting the pace.

By the time Sasuke returned to consciousness, all of his wounds had gone. His body however, was still sore. He got up slowly, wondering why he bothered at all. 'I failed again,' he thought bitterly. He walked out of the fort slowly, holding his right arm with his left, not even seeing where he was going.

The outside of the fort was a mess. Blood was spattered everywhere, along with a large amount of water and puddles. He recognized Suigetsu. Less than half of the swordsman's body remained, the rest lying around in different parts. Zabuza and Raiga's swords were gone, presumably taken by Kisame. He turned to the right and saw Karin, her body almost intact except that she had only one leg. And the hole where the second should have been was not bleeding anymore.

Just as he was about to move away from the area, he noticed a shallow rise in Karin's body. With speed he thought he no longer possessed, he reached by her. Sasuke knelt by Karin and held up her face. She looked up at him weakly and coughed. "Sasuke-kun…" she faltered. Then she said, "You won."

"No," Sasuke said, his voice bitter, "I was merely spared. Again."

"Oh." Karin looked at him sadly, before her face brightened. "But we can try, aga…" her statement was broken by a fit of coughing, "again."

Then she smiled at him, "Not we. I'm not going to make it, am I, Sasuke-kun?" He shook his head sadly, a tear forming in his right eye. Maybe if those two were here, they could have worked another miracle. But now…

Karin caught his hand and said, "I have a favor to ask, Sasuke-kun."

He nodded, "Anything."

"In all the times you shared my bed, you never kissed me above the neck. Please, just this once, can you kiss my cheek? Or at least my forehead?" Sasuke nodded; it had been his way to avoid intimacy, while using her, and leading her on to ensure her loyalty.

Sasuke bent over and shifted her hair. He pressed his lips to hers. Salty blood met his lips and he pulled away a few seconds later. Karin laughed, choking as she said, "See… I knew…knew you loved…"

Her taunt caught in her throat as she breathed her last. Sasuke closed her eyes gently, and stood, a tear running down his cheek. He exited the front compound, making a trail of oil behind him as he did. Then he sent off a spark from his hands, which lit the trail of oil. As he walked off, the fort burst into fire. Sasuke Uchiha did not look back.


	21. Chapter 21:The Sound Liberation

**Author's Note:** Hey guys, I have a bit of bad news for you. I am getting really busy with college assignments and stuff, and have lesser and lesser time to progress with my story. Therefore, it is with great regret that I have to announce, that I will be moving to a weekly chapter release from now on. That will not only help me organize my schedule, but also won't leave you guys waiting for chapters everyday. This will be my last chapter releasing on a different day. I will be releasing my chapters every Thursday from now on, coinciding with the day when Naruto's new episodes come out. If you don't find my chapter on Thursday, it will definitely be released on Friday. I hope that you guys understand the reasons behind this, I am human after all. I don't know what your reactions will be, but I do know one thing, which is that I will complete this story one way or the other.

Anyway, that being said, I've got a larger chapter for you guys today, so enjoy and as usual, Happy Reading!

**Chapter 21: The Sound Liberation**

An explosion in the village suddenly shocked the Leaf and Sand ninjas, who were waiting to attack. Shin yelled, "That's the signal. Let's go!" Everyone behind Kakashi nodded and Kakashi led them into the village. Gaara and his team waited behind, Gaara looking suspiciously at the True Sound village shinobi.

"Gaara, what's the hold up?" Naruto yelled at him.

Gaara looked at Shizune, who had been added into the mission for medical support, and said, "Can you please inform Kakashi and Natsuki to split our troops up into two directions, along with the True Sound ninjas?" Shizune nodded, and asked, "Why?" He replied, "I do not trust them yet, so it would be wiser to have a more open battlefield. If all our troops are together, we could be defeated even more easily if it turns out to be a trap." Shizune immediately took out her cellular and dialed Kakashi.

"Move it," the Kazekage ordered, his voice uncommonly worried.

"Alright!" Naruto shouted and they quickly breached the village's meagre defenses, which had already been taken over by the True Sound village. Gaara looked up to see them and they saluted him. He looked a little less suspicious but decided not to think about it then. He just aimed a shuriken of sand at the nearest enemy, who was sporting three arms and legs.

"Coming through," Naruto shouted, as he cracked a man's skull with Kitsune. The man fell, and the True Sound ninja who he was about to kill looked at Naruto gratefully. Neji tapped another enemy in the back with his Gentle Fist, giving the True Sound ninja a chance to stab him. "Thank you," she said, and then shouted, "Careful!"

A third man was leaping up behind Naruto, but a giant fist of sand intercepted him and crushed him against a nearby building. "Where is Kabuto Yakushi?" Gaara demanded of the True Sound kunoichi. She shuddered slightly under his intense gaze and said, "He was last seen in his lab. It's in the citadel there. But I don't know if he's still there." Gaara nodded his thanks and said, "Let's go."

"This is so troublesome," Shikamaru groaned, while casually slitting his opposing ninja's throat. Choji nodded, while his fists pounded together, crushing a man between them. "What's with the small fry?" he asked. Temari groaned. "Did you have to say that?"

"What is this?" Choji said, confused, and she pointed in the opposite direction. Ino gasped, "That's target six, Yama!"

_"__Target six is known as Yama," Tsunade said. She showed a pair of photos, showing a hulk of a man, probably in his twenties, or early thirties, and almost eight feet tall. _

_"__He was recruited by Orochimaru some years ago. We don't have any other intel on him, nor does the True Sound. But they did say that he is extremely deadly and loyal to a fault. And it seems that his loyalty has been transferred to Kabuto."_

_Shin added, "He is a mystery. He never speaks, to anyone. He may in fact, be mute. Only one of our ninjas has ever gone on a mission with him She reported that he used mostly hand-to-hand combat, and is much faster than he looks. She also reported that he only used a Wind Chakra shield, and had no other jutsus that she saw."_

_Then he said dubiously, "We also have heard rumors that he has never taken a single hit in his entire career," And one last thing; we have been reported of a young girl in his room, with similar facial features. She might be his daughter, or a younger sibling." Temari said, "That could be why he's loyal to Kabuto. Maybe the guy offered to treat her or something of the sort." Shikamaru nodded._

"Let's go, let's find someone who isn't so troublesome." Shikamaru whispered, but the suggestion came a little too late, as Yama saw them. His eyes narrowed in anger and he tore out a huge chunk of wall from next to him. He threw the piece of wall directly at them.

"Partial Expansion Jutsu!" Choji intoned and his enlarged arm punched the projectile away, while he grimaced from the pain. "Wind Scythe Jutsu!" Temari yelled, and Choji ducked, as huge blades of sharpened air passed over his head and struck Yama squarely in the chest and arms. But the blades merely passed through him and cut deep furrows into the wall behind him.

"I see; that's why he's never been injured," Temari said.

Choji grunted, "He can't be that tough." He swung his enlarged left fist at Yama's face, but the blow did not even move Yama a tiny bit. The Akimichi kicked out, placing a giant foot in Yama's solar plexus. Yama didn't even acknowledge the attack, but grabbed Choji's arm faster than the Chunin could dodge, and threw him back at Temari like a rag doll.

"Choji," Temari helped up the overweight Chunin, "What do you think? Can you hold him off long enough for the Shadow Possession or Mind Transfer Jutsu?" Choji shook his head to clear it, and said, "I can try. But hitting that guy was like punching a steel wall. I got hurt more by it than him." He stood and intoned, "Limited Expansion Jutsu."

Choji expanded, becoming nearly ten feet tall, and he charged towards Yama. He grappled with the Sound ninja, but was barely able to hold him in place. Shikamaru asked, "Why the Shadow Possession? Why not Shadow Strangulation?" Temari said, "Physical attacks don't seem to hurt this guy, and the Shadow Possession takes less of your chakra." Shikamaru said, "He still needs to breath though."

Temari sighed and said, "Fine. Do what you want."

Shikamaru chuckled and said, "No, that won't work. You're in charge, you give the orders." Temari tried to glare at him, but looked away, slightly blushing and grinning. Ino sighed and signed, "Mind Transfer Jutsu!" But she suddenly found herself in her own body and saw Temari and Shikamaru looking at her in surprise. "Why didn't it work, Ino?"

"I don't know," Ino snapped, "Maybe Orochimaru placed his brain in a jar somewhere." Choji groaned, "Guys, a little help over here!" Shikamaru swung into action and signed, "Shadow Possession Jutsu!" His shadow extended, reaching around Yama's shadow. But it didn't connect and Shikamaru frowned in surprise. Yama pushed Choji back another step.

"Even my jutsu didn't work, Temari," Shikamaru said, confused. Temari looked worried, "Is he immune to all our jutsus?" Just then Choji flew past them into the building nearby, and shrunk back to normal size. "This guy's tough," he groaned, and Ino began healing him. Shikamaru put his hands together into his thinking pose, and began searching his thoughts.

"Let's buy him some time, guys, "Temari shouted and the three of them circled around Yama, trying to keep his gaze split on all of them. 'Nothing is working,' Shikamaru thought, 'But why?' Ino drew a small pouch, saying, "Temari, give me a breeze, will you?" The Sand kunoichi waved her fan, and Ino released a few paper bombs.

'Ino's jutsu didn't work, which means he has no mind,' Shikamaru pondered, 'No physical injuries, no mind. Could be a puppet. But Choji never said that he felt strange to the touch.'

Yama walked out of the barrage of paper bombs, unscathed. 'My shadow couldn't connect with his, so it must be fake. So is it some sort of GenJutsu? That would explain why he didn't get affected by any attacks. It's worth a try.' Shikamaru clapped his hands together and intoned, "Release!"

The rest of his team looked at him in surprise and then countered his actions when they noticed the look of confusion on his face. In the place where Yama had been standing, a small girl, no more than seven years of age, was floating. She was in the air, apparently in the middle of a translucent bubble of Wind Chakra. The girl was wearing normal clothes and did not appear to have a headband.

"So that's the reason nothing worked on him," Choji said, "There was absolutely nothing to hit."

The child looked surprised and a little scared, when they turned to face her. Her Wind Chakra bubble began lashing out at them aggressively. Temari ordered, "Ino, stop her before she can touch us." The blonde bombshell nodded, and intertwined her fingers again. "Mind Transfer Jutsu."

Ino penetrated the young girl's mind and saw the mental projection of the girl, wearing a faded pink dress, and looking at her in surprise. The domain in her mind was mostly barren, but a lone hawk flew overhead.

"Who are you?" the girl asked Ino, frightened.

"My name is Ino Yamanaka." Ino countered and said, "What is your name?"

The girl relaxed just a little and said, "Yori. Yori of the Nochi clan. Are you going to kill me?"

Ino stared at her, at a loss for words. She finally replied, "I don't want to kill you." Yori said quickly, "But Orochimaru-san said that the people of the Leaf village would try to kill me, if they found out my secret. And you are fighting me."

"Well," Ino said, "You did attack us first. We were trying to defend ourselves. We thought we were fighting Yama, a mean man who we were told is very dangerous." Yori considered that and said, "Orochimaru-san said that anyone who knows my secret would want to kill me. That's why he showed me how to make Yama. So I can stop the people who know about me from killing me."

Ino gasped, as she suddenly realized the full implication of that statement. So Orochimaru had not even left young children from his weird and twisted plans. She asked, "Did a lot of people find out about your plans, Yori-chan?" Yori warmed up to her at that honorific and nodded, "They did. But Orochimaru-san would tell me where to find them and then…"

Ino said, "And then you killed them?"

Yori shuddered and said, "No. Roc-chan did it for me." Then the girl suddenly froze and said, "I wasn't supposed to tell you that." Ino felt the girl trying to take control of her body again and gently stopped her.

Shikamaru shouted in frustration, "What's going on, Ino?" Ino replied, using the girl's voice, "Hold on a little, I'm talking to Yori." Shikamaru said, confused, "Yori?" Ino replied, "Her name is Yori, of the Nochi clan."

"The Nochi clan. Why does that sound familiar?" Temari wondered.

"Yori, what do you mean, Roc-chan did it for you?" Ino asked. Yori shuddered again and said, "I fought them if I had to, but if I had to kill them…I would let Roc-chan do it." Ino asked, "But who is this Roc-chan?"

"You really don't know my secret, do you?" Yori said, surprised. Ino looked up to see the hawk suddenly descending. Choji said, "Roc-chan?" And Ino realized that she had spoken out loud. Temari suddenly gasped and yelled, "Ino, be careful! I've heard of the Nochi clan before! They lived on the border of the Land of Wind and the Land of Birds. It is said that centuries ago, the clan in order to protect the Land of Birds, sealed away a demon known as the Shadow Roc, into one of their clan members. According to legend, the Shadow Roc is not as powerful as the Tailed Beasts, but is so huge that all of them could easily sit atop it and wouldn't even touch each other."

"No SHIT!" Ino yelled blankly, as the Shadow Roc circled lower and lower until it filled up the entire sky. Suddenly Ino realized how high the hawk must have been flying to look so miniscule. The Roc landed and the chakra it exuded forced the Yamanaka out of the girl's mind. Yori's head lifted and her brown eyes began to glow weirdly.

"I should thank you, " came a deep voice from Yori's mouth. "You interfered with her mind, giving me a chance to take total control. From two hundred years, I have been passed down from mother to child, just waiting for a chance to break free. But I'm not really interested in thanking you, so I shall just kill you instead."

Shikamaru said, "You knew that Orochimaru was just using her, didn't you?"

The demon snorted and said, "Of course I did. Orochimaru and I had a deal. He taught the girl how to release me and in return, I killed for him. I needed the serpent until he could free me. But now that I am free, I will absorb the girl's will and become stronger than ever." Then he twisted Yori's face into a weird smile and said, "Look at me chatting. Time for you to die."

The translucent bubble expanded into a fist and struck Choji straight in the face. Choji landed inside a house, where he failed to pull himself out of the table he had crashed into. Shikamaru shouted, "Shadow Possession Jutsu!" and his shadow connected with the real shadow of Yori. The Roc sneered at him, "You pathetic fool. I control this chakra directly with my mind. You freezing my body will not help you in the slightest."

Temari nodded in spite of herself and said, "It's just like Gaara with the sand." Then she leapt in front of Shikamaru to block an air chakra kick with her fan and said, "Shika, strangle her."

Shikamaru looked at her in shock, "You want me to kill a child?"

She looked at him sadly and said, "We don't have another choice. None of us can penetrate that barrier." Ino snorted, "I beg to differ. I'll try to take back control from the Roc. If I fail, only then you go ahead with that plan."

Choji protested, "It's too dangerous, Ino." Ino said, "I have to try."

Before Choji could say another word, Ino Mind Transferred into the mind of the young girl. She saw the form of a hawk, so large that its wings could have covered the entire Leaf Village. Its fierce eyes looked at Ino and the kunoichi suddenly found herself back in her own body. She struck the monster's psyche again and was able to break through this time.

The entire domain had changed. What had been a simple plain ground had now become a rocky, mountainous terrain, which was dominated by the giant hawk. Ino shouted, "Where are you, Yori?" She heard a cry to her left and looked around to find the girl trapped underneath one of the Roc's talons. One of the claws had torn her right leg to shreds.

Ino rushed over to her and said, "Yori, are you alright?" Yori cried, "I tried to stop Roc-chan… no, the Shadow Roc, but he was stronger than before. He hurt me." Ino looked at the wound to see not blood, but memories of the girl leaking out. Ino couldn't stop the wound. She wondered what to do.

"Yori, how do I stop the Roc?" Ino asked her gently.

"I'll have to get up to its forehead, where its seal is." Yori said.

Ino nodded, and stuck an imaginary kunai into the Roc's talon. The giant hawk cried out in pain and looked down to see what was causing it discomfort. Just then Ino managed to pull Yori out of the small gap she had managed to create. The Roc shouted, "YOU! How did you get back in here? I'll tear your soul apart and consume you!"

"Ino," Yori whispered, as Ino picked her up and carried her piggyback, "Those people I killed, didn't know my secret, did they? They weren't trying to hurt me." Ino said, "Don't say that. You didn't kill them, the Roc did."

"I trusted Orochimaru-san," Yori said, "I attacked those people and let them die." Ino replied, "If you feel that way, take responsibility, and help me fight the Roc. Now hold on tight," Ino instructed, and she jumped onto the raptor's back. She started towards the creature's neck, but the demon hopped, flapping its wings and rolling to the side. Without any sort of hold, the Kunoichi was forced to jump clear. The Roc flew higher, and then dove at them. With the extra weight, Yamanaka found it harder to avoid the attack, but she managed. The teen shifted the child, and drew a kunai again.

When the Roc strafed them again, Ino blocked its beak with her blade, but was knocked down by the claws. She twisted as she fell, so she hit the ground on her side, instead of landing on Yori. The Roc's head darted towards Ino, its razor sharp beak wide open. Before it hit, Yori grabbed Ino's spiritual kunai, and pushed off with her good leg, stabbing the avian in the neck. The spirit swung its bill back, cleaving into Yori's neck.

"No," Ino scrambled up, but she was too late. The Roc tore out Yori's heart. It tilted its head back, and swallowed the girl's core. "Next," the demon crowed in triumph, but the mentalist vanished from his mind. "Do it, Shikamaru," Ino was already crying as she opened her eyes. "Ino, what happened?" Temari asked, worried. "That monster… It killed Yori. It destroyed her soul. You have to kill it quickly, before it finishes taking over her body."

The normally lazy ninja looked upset, but nevertheless, he signed his more powerful technique and intoned, "Shadow Strangulation Jutsu." His shadow extended and snapped the girl's neck.

The Roc roared in pain and as the glow began to fade from the young girl's eyes, the chakra surrounding her suddenly lashed out, holding Choji's throat in a vicelike grip. Choji began to suffocate, but the chakra was weakening and Temari quickly lashed at it with her own air. The chakra destabilized, leaving behind a choking Choji. Ino quickly went to heal him.

"He has a pulse," Ino said in relief. Choji's eyes opened and he exhaled sharply. He took several deep breaths before sitting up and saying, "That was a close one." Ino helped him stand. Her relief suddenly turned into sadness, as Shikamaru walked over with Yori in his arms. She looked so small.

"Is this the fate of all Jinchuuriki?" Temari said quietly, and Shikamaru glared at her. She caught his glare and took control of her emotions. "Ino, take Choji to Shizune-san. And Yori, too. Shikamaru and I will continue to assist the True Sound." Ino nodded and turned to help Choji who said, "Carry Yori. I can walk."

Gaara's team headed towards the reinforced citadel in the center of the village, occasionally assisting the True Sound wherever necessary. Each time, Gaara had questioned the allies or enemies about Kabuto's location, and had received nothing regarding the new leader of the Sound village. So they continued to the citadel until they reached the huge steel doors that barred them from entering.

"Sakura." Gaara requested and the pink haired kunoichi stepped forward, pulling her gloves tighter. With a single blow, she punched the reinforced door inside, knocking over around twenty Sound shinobi standing waiting for them. The rest of them who hadn't been knocked back by the door readied themselves and Naruto crossed his fingers.

Kakashi said, "This is where we split up." After they had been dispatched, the Leaf, Sand, and True Sound had been attacking together, until there were no more frontlines of the Sound enemies. Kakashi took his teams and went off towards the north, while Natsuki took control of the Sand teams and went west. The True Sound headed east. Kakashi split up all the teams and said, "Find out all the major sport of battle and try to capture as much ground as possible."

All the other teams nodded and scattered. Kakashi was left with his own team, and Shino asked quietly, "What is the plan, Kakashi sensei?"

The Jonin looked at him and said. "No clue."

Sai sighed and Kiba almost fell through the ground at the Copy Ninja's attitude. Then Kakashi said seriously, "Kiba, Akamaru, see if you can smell anything. Shino, dispatch your bugs. Sai, create a few birds and have them scout the area. For now, we'll head to the core of the village to try to find one of the targets."

The four shinobi started to move towards the town square but before they could start moving at top speed, Akamaru suddenly dug in his claws. Everyone stopped and Sai said impatiently, "What is it? Does he need to go to the bathroom?"

Akamaru growled at him and then yipped at Kiba. Kiba said, "He smells something dangerous at two-o-clock." Shino dispatched his insects, which returned in a couple of moments and he said, "My insects also smell an odd chakra signature from there." Kakashi nodded and said, "Well, then that's as good a direction as any."

Sai snorted, but followed them nevertheless. They reached a building and he said incredulously, "A theater?" Kiba looked at Akamaru and said, "Are you sure about this?" Akamaru yipped and nodded firmly. Kakashi pulled the handle of the door and pulled it open. A strong perfume wafted outside. The four shinobi and dog slunk in.

The first thing they noticed was a True Sound kunoichi, lying on the floor. Shino knelt and examined her, saying, "She appears to have been drugged."

Kiba needled Sai, "Well, it seems that Akamaru was right after all."

Sai said, "I never said he was not. I just feel it foolish to follow the directions of a lesser beast." Kakashi caught Kiba before he could leap at Sai. "Not the right crowd to say that, Sai," Kakashi said. Sai nodded, still not intimidated. The four of them moved into the auditorium, where the perfume was even stronger. They could hear music and voices inside. Shino opened the door a crack and Kakashi peeped through the gap.

"I see two shinobi of the True Sound in the back row. Both look hypnotized." Kakashi said. Kiba asked, "Why do you think that?" Kakashi simply said, "They are both looking at the stage and drooling."

"But what are they staring at?" Sai insisted.

Kakashi drew out a small mirror and extended it around the door. But when he looked at the mirror, he was staring right into the face of a beautiful young woman. "Like what you see?" the woman said, both amused and suggestive. Kakashi scrambled back in surprise and pulled out a kunai. The woman pushed the door and sauntered in. Her outfit was little more than a translucent ribbon, wrapped around her huge breasts multiple times, then once around her stomach and again repeatedly around her hips.

"Target four," Sai observed, "Aika. But where's the other one?"

_"Target 4 is a bit of a misnomer," Tsunade explained, "As the target is two individuals." The image appeared, and a number of the shinobi vocalized surprise or approval. "Aika and Aimi Kouin are identical twins," Shin explained, "though Aimi swapped her hair and eye color so they can be told apart. Aika has the green hair and blue eyes, Aimi the blue hair and green eyes. As you might suspect, their specialty is seduction, using NinJutsu and GenJutsu to enhance their own natural… talents." _

_"I'll bet," one of the Sand Ninja shouted. Both of the Kages glared at him, in their respective ways. The Chunin blanched under the scrutiny. "They never go on missions with anyone else, but they have been known to practice on the men of the Hidden Sound. No one ever is able to recall any specific jutsu, but no one ever complains, either."_

"My sister is inside," the seductress said sweetly, "Do you wish to see her too?" The scent was becoming deeper and the Leaf ninjas were finding it difficult to concentrate. She caught Kakashi's arm and said seductively, "Put away that kunai, I'm not going to hurt you." The Jonin complied, putting away the kunai. Aika urged them, "Come in, watch the show. It's especially for men." The four ninjas' eyes went blank and they followed her in.

Aimi looked at them appraisingly and said, "I don't know sis. Kabuto-senpai wanted only True Sound shinobi. Aika argued, "But he didn't say anything about Leaf ninjas either way." Aimi nodded and said, "But I would still feel safer with the rebels."

The green haired beauty said, "Do you know who that is? That is Kakashi Hatake of the Sharingan. With Sasuke-san gone, this might be Kabuto-senpai's last chance to study the Sharingan. A transplanted one, no less. Think of how he would reward us if we gave him the Copy Ninja."

Aimi shuddered in anticipation and nodded. "Fine, let's kill the rest and take Kakashi." The blue eyed vixen pouted, "It seems such a waste. Three hunks of men…"

Aimi pondered over that and looked at the laps of the three Leaf Chunin. "I suppose we could see what they have to offer first," she said lecherously. As the two of them started over to the Leaf ninjas, Shino suddenly rose up and said quietly, "That will be enough."

Aimi and Aika stared at him, stunned. Aika said, "How did you break free?" Shino held up his hands, showing them the insects crawling over them. Both of the beauties blanched and scuttled away from him, looking repulsed. Shino said, "Once I was entranced by your scents, my insects immediately began to filter it. After I was free, I pretended to be entranced in order to learn of your plans."

Kiba also stood and said proudly, "Those artificial pheromones could never fool a nose like this. I was just following Shino and Kakashi sensei's lead."

Sai stood as well and Aika looked at him pointedly, saying, "What's your story?"

Kiba interrupted, "He has the emotional range of a sponge cake. He wouldn't understand sexual attraction, romance or seduction if it stabbed him in the heart with a kunai." Sai looked mildly annoyed, but let the comment pass. Kiba said, "Ready, Kakashi sensei?" When he didn't get a reply, the twins smiled and all of the Chunin turned to look at the Copy Ninja, who was still staring at the twins in rapture. A dark spot appeared on the Jonin's mask.

Kiba sighed, "Jeez, Naruto said he was a pervert, but this?" Shino said, "We will just have to deal with them ourselves." Sai snorted and took out his scroll. Kiba whistled and Akamaru burst in. Shino jumped onto the stage as bugs started to swarm around him.

"It's still four on two," Kiba told them, as he and Akamaru joined Shino, "And we already beat your main weapon."

"Silly boy," Aimi slid swiftly behind him, stabbing towards his neck with a needle, "That little bit of pheromone GenJutsu was hardly our best technique." A black and white eagle nearly struck her, but she slid out of the way, blurring slightly as she did. Though Sai's attack missed, it had the intended effect of saving Kiba. "See, sister," Aika said as her wind Jutsu swept Shino's beetles away from her, "You wanted to destroy such a wonderful painter." "It's not like we can keep him," Aimi countered, "Not now that he's awake."

"I suppose not," she pouted slightly. Shino's chakra caused the bugs to link limbs like chain, overcoming the air current scattering them. Before they could connect with the lecherous woman, she sidestepped, her form becoming soft around the edges. "Hall of Echoes Jutsu," Aimi completed her hand signs while ducking under Akamaru's paw. The ninja hound dropped to the ground from the painful sound in his ears, as did his master. "Release," Kiba attempted to cancel the GenJutsu, and touched Akamaru to free him too. But the spell was not completely disrupted; an annoying buzz remained.

"My GenJutsu are highly resistant to such weak techniques," she taunted, when he tugged on his earlobe to try and clear his head. "Well," Inuzuka grimaced, "If I take you out, your technique goes with you. Akamaru!" The large dog barked once, and moved closer. "Paired Transformation: Canine Sapiens Jutsu!" Each of the partners transformed, Akamaru's muzzle flattened, and his forelegs became arms. Kiba sprouted fur and hunched forward, his nails becoming claws and his teeth lengthening. Akamaru dove forward, nearly clipping her with his claws. But the sharpened nail passed through her ill-defined edge. "Water Style: Bubble Burst Jutsu," the Kunoichi exploded a sphere of water between herself and the two were-dogs, and both were thrown painfully back. "High level NinJutsu and GenJutsu?" Sai was skeptical, "How powerful are these two?"

The former ANBU member sent wolves to attack both siblings, but the sister fighting Shino broke away long enough to bury a single needle in the 'skull' of each ink beast, destroying them. Aburame tried to take advantage of the distraction, but once again, the attack just barely missed her. She prepared to strike back, but was interrupted.

"So that's the trick," Kakashi Hatake said, stretching as he stood languidly. The five fighters all paused to look at him. "You see, ever since Shin told us you altered your appearances to look different," he continued, walking slowly up to the stage, "I've been wondering why. After all, it would be to your advantage, if your opponents couldn't be sure which sister they were fighting."

"Unless," he hopped lightly up on the stage, "The idea was for your enemies to think they know who they are fighting. Each of the three of you mastered a different skill set. Then in battle, you substitute for one another, switching your hair and eye color. That way the 'twins' appear impossible to hit, and masters of a large variety of jutsu. Plus, whichever of you is hiding maintains your pheromone jutsu, to keep your opponents distracted."

"Three?" Shino asked what the other two Chunin were thinking. "Yup, three," Kakashi nodded. "One," he pointed to Aika. "Two," the Leaf Jonin indicated Aimi. "Three," he quickly turned, and flung a kunai into the balcony. Two needles emerged from empty air, knocking the blade off course. The GenJutsu vanished, and a third sister was revealed, with blue hair and eyes, but otherwise the same as the two on stage.

"You were never really under our control, were you?" Aisa asked, looking down on him with anger. "Sorry," Kakashi sounded sincere, "You're all really pretty, but you're not really my type. My tastes go for more slender, and a darker hair color." "We can do that too," Aika offered. "It's too late for that, sister," Aimi shouted.

"Kiba, the one on the balcony is the weapons master. Shino, green eyes uses most of the GenJutsu; Sai, green hair is the NinJutsu expert." Kakashi's words were both warning and direction, "Keep your eyes open so they don't switch on you again." "What are you going to do?" Kiba growled as he and Akamaru leapt off the stage, on the backs of the second row of seats. "I've double duty, clean-up and rescue."

The Copy Ninja lifted his hands, and formed a Chidori around each. Keeping his palms flat and parallel, he darted up the aisle, across the back row, and then returned to the stage. He repeated the circuit, and this time the air was noticeably fresher. "You're using a killing technique to clean the air," Sai's tone was dismissive, even as he unleashed a pair of attackers on Aimi. This time, his illustrated animations were a double mockery, pin-up versions of Sakura and Ino, which struck at the seductress.

"It's called electro-static air purification. Now that they aren't maintaining the perfume levels, I can get rid of it," the teacher explained, "And you'll find many deadly techniques have alternate uses. Just ask Naruto about the Rasengan some time." The two canine hybrids jumped up to the balcony, surrounding her. Whenever the third sister attempted to attack one of them, the other would stalk closer.

"Illusion Art: Reflect Me Jutsu," Aika yelled, and to Shino's surprise every other person in the room took on her appearance. But he did not blink, did not give her a chance to switch with any of her duplicates. "Ninja Art: Compound Eyes Jutsu," Shino countered, connecting with the bugs perched on his shoulders, to enhance his vision. He sent out a small swarm, his tiny allies unaffected by the mirage. Unable to substitute, the enchantress was not able to avoid all of the insects, and they began to consume her chakra supply.

The True Sound Ninja captives began to recover from their fascination. Aimi was struck hard by the black and white painting of Sakura, and the copy of Ino caught her arms, spreading ink onto her skin as she pinned the sound Kunoichi. Without their swapping trick, the sisters realized they were ill prepared for a direct battle. "I surrender," Aisa pragmatically dropped her needles and put up her hands. "Aisa," Aika yelled at her sibling this time.

"In another minute it will go from the three of us against the five of them, to the three of us against the fifteen of them," the oldest sister responded, "And Kabuto-senpai isn't worth dying for. He's not even worth risking a scar for. You are far too enamored with him for our own good, Aika." Aimi stayed out of the argument, but subtly stopped resisting Sai's creations. One of the rebel captives groaned, and the youngest triplet's resolve weakened. She raised her hands in submission too, and could not hide her relief when the beetles on her skin withdrew.

Kakashi looked around, "Where's Konohamaru?"


	22. Chapter 22:The Serpent VS The Fox

**Chapter 22: The Serpent VS The Fox**

Having finished off all the guards, Gaara and his team headed up to the laboratories in the citadel. They found a large audience chamber which was empty. It carried an air of Orochimaru's decorative style to it, with lots of columns and a dim glow from the torches on the walls. The edges of the opposite side of the room were dark, and the shinobi realized that they were not alone.

"Well, I couldn't say I didn't expect this," came Kabuto Yakushi's voice, as he walked out of the darkness in a cliché villain style. "I thought that Shin Busata was planning something but never in my dreams would I have expected him to hire the Leaf **and** Sound village to assassinate me. And the Kazekage and Nine Tails Jinchuuriki no less."

He turned and said, "Four on one seems a little unfair, don't you think? Goro, Yuna, can you assist me?" An oddly gentle voice replied, "Of course, Kabuto-sama."

The Kazekage's team turned towards the voice and found two shinobi staring them down. The woman who had answered Kabuto was taller than the man she was standing with. Though she looked normal at first sight, the Leaf ninjas caught sight of her extra arm. Neji grimaced in remembrance. The man she was standing next to looked as though he had been chiseled from stone. He was short and stout, and looked as though he weighed two hundred pounds of solid muscle.

Gaara spoke, "I will deal with Kabuto. The three of you will have to make sure we are not interrupted by those two." Naruto nodded, and Kabuto smirked, saying, "Goro, Yuna, kill Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno but I want Neji Hyuga alive."

Kabuto hopped back as Gaara sent out a fist of sand to meet his head. The two Sound shinobi charged at the Leaf ninjas, who braced themselves. Gaara demanded menacingly, "What do you want with Neji Hyuga?"

Kabuto smirked again, "How childish, Gaara. People would kill to have the Byakugan. I merely want to study it, so that I can duplicate it and create my own Byakugan soldiers." Gaara sent three spikes of sand at Kabuto, who dodged them and threw two scalpels at the sandman.

"You will have to survive for that," he replied with a dangerous tone.

"Naruto Uzumaki," the bald muscleman said in a normal voice; Naruto blinked, he was expecting a grunt. "Leaf village ninja, almost sixteen years of age, orphan son of Kushina Uzumaki, and father unknown. Low level TaiJutsu, Shadow Clone Jutsu and Rasengan are the only known NinJutsu, said to have Nine-Tails sealed within."

Naruto was unnerved by this information, although most of it was three years old. "Yeah, so what? What's your story?" The man named Goro ignored him and separated him from his team-mates.

"I see no need to inform you of that."

Naruto drew Kitsune and charged at the man. Goro deflected Naruto's attempt to strike him in the head and said, "Ah, recent intelligence indicated a new weapon. I will need to make note of it." Naruto tried to swing Kitsune at his waist, but faster than he could see, Goro pulled it out of his grip.

"Such exquisite craftsmanship. Intricate chakra bonding, titanium alloy…" Goro trailed off as he got shocked, literally, and the weapon disappeared from his hand, leaving behind a small hole, and reappeared in Naruto's grip.

"I see. It also has defensive measured which will implement a Lightning Jutsu into anyone who tries to use it, other than you. A well-built weapon." Goro continued, as he took a step forward and vanished. Before Naruto saw what happened, he was on the ground.

As Sakura and Neji looked at Yuna, they saw that she had not two, but three right arms, along with her left arm. Initially, the triplet of arms seemed to be joined together, but under their gaze, Yuna separated them. Sakura asked rather rudely, "Who are you?"

Yuna replied, "I am Yuna of the Sound. Kabuto-sama improved my nervous system and skeletal structure, to help me control my additional arms better. They work perfectly with the jutsu which Orochimaru-sama taught me."

Yuna drew four shuriken in each hand from her pouch and threw them at the two Leaf nins. As they flew, she signed and intoned, "Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu." Each of the shurikens split into five, and Sakura paled as the cloud of shuriken bore down onto them. Neji appraised his opponent before taking a step in front of Sakura. A seal spread out of his feet and he announced, a little regretfully, "Protection of the Eight Trigrams: One Hundred Twenty Eight Palms." Moving with immense precision and speed, Neji cut down each and every shuriken by sending his chakra through them, using Hinata's jutsu as well as she did. Some of the shuriken simply fell apart into pieces but some burst into clouds. Not a single shuriken came close to Neji. Sakura taunted, "Well, I guess your arms won't work against a Hyuga very well." Neji simply observed Yuna with his Byakugan.

A giant wave of sand reached over Kabuto, but the medical ninja was able to carve through it with a wind chakra enhanced scalpel. He charged through the gap and stabbed at Gaara, increasing the length of the chakra scalpel as he did. Gaara didn't even move, sending more sand up to block Kabuto and hold his hand as well. Kabuto barely managed to escape the grip of the sand and turned his scalpel into a fire scalpel. The sand which was near it immediately fused into glass.

Gaara thought, 'I shouldn't let him cut at my sand; I cannot control glass.' Kabuto smirked, "I must say I am disappointed. You aren't half as powerful as I expected you to be." Gaara simply stared at him with his cold gaze and Kabuto suddenly felt a huge killing intent released from Gaara. He shuddered slightly and Gaara's mouth twitched upwards.

The Kazekage did not respond to Kabuto but his next spear of sand came at the doctor thrice as fast, and Kabuto could not dodge fast enough. He took a small cut to his hand as he hopped back. But the sand particles had entered his body, and were starting to infiltrate his blood. Kabuto smiled, "That won't work. I can make my blood course through my body so fast that your sand will be dissolved immediately." Gaara felt him lose his control over the sand in Kabuto's body and stopped infusing chakra into them.

As Kabuto dodged another spear of sand, he said, "Looks like I may have underestimated you." Gaara replied coldly, "Or maybe I just overestimated you."

Naruto got up, facing Goro again, and said, "You're fast." Goro smiled and said, "Faster than you know." Kabuto's right hand man was again instantly at Naruto's side, aiming a punch at the boy's throat. Naruto barely dodged it by putting Kitsune ahead of him. But just as he swung Kitsune at the bald shinobi, Goro disappeared again, reappearing behind him and kicking him to the ground.

Naruto got up again, and signed quickly, "Earth Style: Stone Claws Jutsu." Goro displayed a brief look of surprise, before dodging all the claws which Naruto had unleashed on him. He turned to look at Naruto, only to see six of them bearing down on him. He quickly caught the first facsimile and threw it into the rest of them, destroying three of them in the process. The rest of them went for the Uzumaki Barrage, but he slid out of their circle and destroyed them as well.

Naruto, meanwhile, was signing and he shouted, "Wind Style: Cyclone Spikes Barrage!" Lots and lots of tiny wind chakra cones shot out towards Goro, who smirked and disappeared. He reappeared behind Naruto and kicked him to the ground yet again.

Naruto got up, shouting, "Dammit! How are you so fast?!"

Goro grinned, "Master Kabuto upgraded my body. He gave me modified legs and a double circulatory system." Naruto mocked, "So your power isn't even real." Goro looked annoyed at that insult and said, "It's real enough to kill you!" He suddenly slid into Naruto's area and punched him hard in the gut, before going behind him again and applying a sleeper hold on him.

Sakura charged at Yuna, swinging her right hand into a huge muscle boosted punch. The Sound kunoichi caught the pink haired girl's hand with all three of her right hands and grimaced. She kicked at the Leaf ninja while trying to shake feeling back into her right hands, which had gone numb. Sakura caught her leg and threw her into the air. Yuna tumbled through the air, and just managed to straighten herself before she landed onto a pillar. She quickly threw another ten shuriken at the two Leaf ninjas. Sakura jumped out of the way, and Neji calmly knocked them out of their paths with his Gentle Fist.

Yuna launched herself off the wall and hurtled towards Neji. He waited calmly and she fired off two punches at him. Neji blocked her punches with his left hand, while sending chakra into his right hand to disrupt her right hands with his TaiJutsu. She hopped back, trying to free the chakra points which Neji had closed. Neji saw Sakura closing in and looked at her, speaking with his eyes, "Help Naruto. I'll handle her."

Sakura then noticed that Naruto was not holding up well. She nodded and said, "Be careful." Neji inclined his head with a look that plainly said, 'I got this.'

Yuna, meanwhile, was looking at Neji dubiously. She said, "Do you think you can handle me, just because you blocked my opening attacks? I'll crush you!" Neji snorted and she charged at him in rage. He didn't even move until she reached the point of no return, before spinning around and intoning, "Eight Trigrams: Rotation!"

Yuna was pushed back, and went hurtling through the air. She managed to straighten herself before dropping to the ground and snarled at Neji, who slid into his fullest Gentle Fist stance.

Naruto was starting to fade out. He tried to break through, but Goro had held his right arm tightly, so that Naruto would not be able to sign. Naruto felt the Nine Tails starting to get annoyed, but managed not to show it. He tried to get a kunai out with his left hand, but he was weakening and couldn't stab at Goro.

Suddenly Goro yelled in pain, as his arms loosened around Naruto. Even stronger arms had grabbed his hands and started crushing them. Sakura pulled Goro hard and threw him into the wall across the room. Naruto gasped, breathing hard, as Sakura pulled him to his feet, saying, "What are you doing, baka?"

He protested, "That guy is faster than Lee. He keeps getting behind me. Careful!" Goro had darted behind Sakura, aiming his fist at her head, but Naruto grabbed Sakura's hand and pulled her down, making them roll a short distance away. Sakura landed on top of Naruto, and blushed. She jumped up quickly, before he could notice, and shook it off. Naruto got up, oblivious, and said, "See?"

Sakura nodded, saying, "Back to back, then?"

Naruto aligned his spinal cord to Sakura and they waited for Goro to make his next move.

Gaara was starting to run low on sand. He tried to get behind Kabuto, but the snake like man didn't give him a single chance. After Kabuto had realized the Gaara could not control glass, he had extended his fire chakra scalpels, cutting off Gaara's ammunition slash by slash. As the building was entirely of brick and concrete, there had been no earth for Gaara to convert into sand. The Kazekage shifted his attacks to defense and started sending chakra to the earth below the building. But it was very slow because of the distance and he was losing sand faster than he could make it.

Kabuto smirked and said, "You're useless without your sand. Maybe you should surrender now. Perhaps we can come to a truce, being former allies and leaders of our respective villages."

Gaara questioned, "Can you honestly say that you played no part in the murder of my father?" Kabuto did not answer him, but glanced at his left hand.

Gaara replied, "I thought so. Not that it matters anyway; my village has a contract with the True Sound, and I keep my commitments. As for me being useless, well…" Gaara's hands suddenly shot up and he signed at an astonishing speed, "Wind Style: Wind Scythe Jutsu!"

Three huge air blades of sharpened chakra crossed the room, aiming for Kabuto. Kabuto had no time to react, and raised his left arm, absorbing the blows. Gaara looked at him in mild confusion, before noticing the color of Kabuto's arm, through the slice in his sleeve.

"Damn you! Say something already!" Yuna shouted at Neji, who simply observed her with his Byakugan, marking her weak spots. She charged at him again, firing four punches at once, but he slid through all of them, and disabled the chakra points in her chest.

He finally said, "Stop this. Turn away and support the True Sound."

The kunoichi snorted, amidst panting from the injury she had just sustained. "As if I would ever betray my master. I was always loyal to Kabuto-sama, even when serving Orochimaru. And don't forget; Kabuto-sama saved your clan heir's life once, by repairing the damage that you yourself did to her."

Neji froze; he had not known that. Yuna smirked, but Neji's eyes suddenly glowed and he spun around, intoning, "Eight Trigrams: Two Palms!" The Yuna who had been standing in front of him disappeared, and the real one reappeared behind him. He continued the attack up until the Sixty Four Palms.

The Sound Kunoichi's GenJutsu failed, and she dropped to her knees, her entire chakra network shut down, and the Gentle Fist injuries bearing down on her. Neji said, "Until I find out why Kabuto saved Hinata-san, I will not know whether I owe him."

The Sound kunoichi countered, "Cute. But your little Gentle Fist attacks won't work on me. To control these arms of mine, Kabuto-sama gave me specially enhanced chakra control."

She snapped out her left arm and Neji was astonished to see her normal chakra flow returned. However, he noticed her chakra levels drop significantly. Also, the damage to her internal organs done by the Gentle Fist was not repaired. Despite her injuries, she charged at him again. Neji waited, and as she bore down on him, he raised his hand aiming at her, and said, "Eight Trigrams: Massive Air Palm!"

The attack propelled Yuna away and she smashed into the ceiling, bounced off it, and plummeted to the floor. Neji sighed and walked to her. He saw her panting and said, "If you had heeded my advice, I would not have to do this." She spat at him and said, "I don't need your pity, you pathetic fool." Neji's eyes glowed with anger and he touched her chest over her heart, intoning, "Assassin's Palm." He shut down the chakra points in her heart and walked off as Yuna died silently.

Naruto drew Kitsune again, and Sakura held a kunai in her right hand. Goro circled around, looking for an opening. He suddenly began to run very fast in circles around them, hoping to attack them unawares. Sakura said, "Brace yourself, Naruto."

She dropped to one knee and punched the floor. Hard. The entire room shuddered from the impact, and a wave spread out through the floor. Naruto barely managed to keep his feet steady and shouted, "Dammit Sakura, we're on the third floor!"

Goro was not able to stop in time, and tumbled into the air. As he focused on straightening himself up, Sakura jumped at him, and brought her fist to his back. He went down smashing into the floor and Sakura hopped back to the ground, while aligning her back to Naruto again.

Goro jumped out of the hole which he had made. He looked at the kunoichi and said, "I forgot. Sakura Haruno, apprentice to the Fifth Hokage. Specialist in TaiJutsu and minor NinJutsu. But I can wear you down easily enough."

Sakura snorted and said, "By the time you wear us down, you'll have worn yourself down. Having a binary circulatory system is not only a boon but also a curse. You have shortened stamina, giving it up for the ability to finish your opponent quickly." Goro said, "Then I guess I 'll just have to kill you right now. Fire Style: Fire Comets."

Sakura paled at the sight of seven comets of fire hurtling towards her. But Naruto spun around, taking a step forward, and brandished Kitsune at the comets. Kitsune glowed, and the fire comets disappeared. Sakura looked at him questioningly, but he said, "Later."

Goro paled, seeing one of his best attacks being evaded so easily. He circled around them again, and darted in to attack, he managed to punch Sakura in the chin once but she shrugged it off, having taken much worse by the Fifth Hokage. As he hopped back to think of a new strategy, Sakura whispered, "Hey Naruto." The knucklehead looked at her and whispered back, "What is it?"

Sakura said in a low voice, "This guy…there's something weird about him. His punches are not as hard as they should be, considering his muscle-mass. And I've noticed that apart from kicking you to the ground from behind, he doesn't attack with his legs. I think he's still adjusting to whatever Kabuto did to him."

Naruto nodded and whispered, "His arms are also not as fast as his legs. I have an idea." She looked at him and he said, "I just need you to keep him occupied for a couple of minutes while I gather chakra." She replied, "I'll try, but he's too fast for me to block if he tries to attack you."

Just then, Goro attacked Sakura, and she crossed her arms in front of her to block him. Naruto hopped back and started pooling his chakra together. Goro noticed him and tried to get to him, but Sakura had grabbed his hand when he attacked, and she was stronger. He couldn't free himself in time.

Naruto spread his hands out together and intoned, "Hidden Arts! Negative Chakra Wave!" A purple aura of chakra extended from his hands and struck Goro straight in the stomach. Goro fell backwards, shocked at what had happened. Naruto dropped to one knee. He thought, 'Oh man, that really tires one out.' Sakura went to him and asked, "What happened, Naruto? Are you alright?"

Naruto stood and said, "I'm fine. But first…"

He shunshined straight to Goro, who tried to stand and failed. He said, "I didn't think that a brat like you could know this jutsu." Naruto grinned, "Your mistake." Then he raised Kitsune and brought it down over Goro's head, knocking him out cold. He turned to see Gaara falling.

Kabuto smirked, "Who would have thought that the same hand which killed the Fourth Kazekage would also claim the Fifth Kazekage? I'm quite lucky." Then he looked up at Naruto and Sakura, saying, "I'm sorry, I don't have time to play with all of you. I must take my leave."

Sakura rushed towards Gaara as Kabuto ran back through a door and vanished. Naruto also ran towards Gaara, his eyes red with anger. He managed to control the Nine Tails somehow. He reached towards Gaara, saw his state, and said, "Neji, come here."

Neji ran over to them. "What should we do, Naruto, Sakura?" Gaara began to speak, "Heal me partly, Sakura. I have to kill him. It is my duty. I must get revenge for my father." Naruto said, "Oh, shut it, Gaara. Neji, get Gaara to the medical camp. Shizune can take care of him. Sakura, heal him until you can get him to the camp. I'm going to deal with Kabuto."

Sakura began to argue but Naruto said, "Look, there's no time for an argument. Gaara's the wounded, you're the medic, Neji's the guy who carries Gaara, I'm the guy who takes out the bad guy. We all have our duties here. Get going. I'll be fine." Gaara's eyes began to shut and Sakura nodded and said, "Alright, Naruto. Best of luck. I'll try to get back as soon as possible." He nodded.

Sakura began healing Gaara even as Neji picked him up. They began to jog out of the citadel and Naruto began running off towards the direction Kabuto was headed in. He ignored the false trails that Kabuto had created him, his nose leading him straight to a laboratory on the fifth floor. He entered the lab and as expected, the door closed behind him, enclosing him in darkness.

"Well well well." Kabuto's voice appeared through the gloom. He said, "I always wanted to study you as well, Naruto. You are a fine subject. How do you regenerate so fast? Is it the Nine Tails? Or is it our tenacious life force as an Uzumaki?"

Naruto said, "I've always wanted to pound the crap out of you too, Kabuto. Why don't you show yourself?" Naruto looked around him to see cylinders full of a greenish liquid. What was held in them made him almost puke. Each cylinder consisted of chunks of bones, muscles, flesh and skin, mostly held up in a human form.

Kabuto asked, "I see you like my treasure."

Naruto was disgusted. He said, "What the hell is all this?"

Kabuto calmly replied, "You are looking at the remains of Lord Orochimaru's last three hosts. I was able to gather all of this from after he managed to take their bodies. They have been most informative. Too bad that Sasuke killed him. I was looking forward to studying the remains of an Uchiha."

Naruto went to the table of computers nearby and calmly smashed one of the monitors. Kabuto smirked somewhere in the darkness, "Oh, I seem to have touched a nerve. But do you really think that breaking these displays is going to affect me?"

Naruto didn't seem unsettled by that. Rather, he simply took out one of the table's legs. The entire setup crashed to the floor. This turned Kabuto silent. Naruto smashed the entire system beyond repair.

Kabuto suddenly said, "The data is all backed up and I can always replace those. I don't know what you're trying to accomplish here but it won't work."

Naruto casually stepped up to a green cylinder and said, "What about these, huh? Can you replace them?" Kabuto suddenly lunged at him out of the darkness, holding a real scalpel in his right hand, and a chakra scalpel in his left. He swung at Naruto who parried with Kitsune and smirked.

"Gotcha."

A Shadow Clone suddenly flicked the switch of the laboratory, and the overhead lights flooded the room with a bright shine. Kabuto found himself surrounded by ten clones, who charged at him. But when they reached him, he suddenly substituted for one of them and then immediately finished them off, scoring a cut on the real Naruto's cheek as well. The doctor said, "You didn't really expect me to fall for that, did you?"

Naruto grinned and pointed at the liquid leaking from one of the tubes. Kabuto roared in dismay and charged towards the knucklehead again. He aimed his scalpel at Naruto, who easily batted it away, and then tapped his Kitsune into Kabuto's right shoulder. The Sound village leader's arm jerked wildly, as he lost the physical scalpel that he had been using. He hopped back and said, "The Ranshinsho, huh. I see that the old witch has been teaching you her tricks."

Naruto said, "Actually, I got Sakura to teach it to me." Kabuto smirked, "Too bad I have a counter for that now." He flexed his arm, and it went back to normal. He continued, "And that bat is not here to save you now." He quickly extracted three scalpels and threw them at Naruto, who knocked away the projectiles, but Kabuto had darted in till then and left two long cuts on his arm. Kabuto stepped back and Naruto looked down at his arm in confusion.

Kabuto said, "Noticed, have you? My improved technique slows down the healing in any wound that I make. Normally, this makes it far more lethal, but considering your powers, it will be less effective on you, although I can still use it to slow you down."

Naruto simply sent a sliver of chakra into Kitsune. The fox eyes on the weapon suddenly glowed green, and Naruto's toy transformed into the wind sword. He charged at the traitor, slashing at Kabuto. The doctor tried to intercept the attack with his scalpels but the wind sword cut right through them and Kabuto was forced to dive away in order to avoid being disemboweled.

Kabuto formed another chakra blade in his right hand and stabbed at Naruto's crotch. With a look of utter terror, the teen jumped backwards into the air and landed, only to find his legs being swept by Kabuto. The traitor landed on top of Naruto, stabbing at his neck. But before he could connect, Naruto quickly brought up his left hand to intercept, and Kabuto smirked, thinking that he would be able to cut open the boy's hand. But at the last moment…

"RASENGAN!" Naruto yelled and the Rasengan which had formed in his left hand was brought up straight into Kabuto's right hand. With utmost amazement, Kabuto stopped his attack and jumped behind, but was too slow to completely dodge he attack. His fingers were slightly eroded by the Fourth Hokage's jutsu. He hopped back and activated a healing jutsu to grow them back.

Kabuto thought, 'The boy has mastered that technique quite a lot from the last time we met. To think that he could form the jutsu so fast and with one hand only…' He quickly went behind a table and extracted a dozen surgical knives. He threw six of them at Naruto as a distraction and his three of them inside his right hand sleeve, lacing them with fire, earth and lightning chakra. Naruto hopped over the table, aiming Kitsune at the doctor's head. Kabuto blocked it with his earth scalpel, and as he hoped, it was able to stop the wind sword, although momentarily. Naruto went forward with his attack, trying to force the Rasengan through Kabuto's head, but Kabuto turned his attack into the wall behind them. The Rasengan shattered the wall, but also unraveled the jutsu. Kabuto slipped past Kitsune as Naruto turned, and aimed his chakra scalpels at Naruto's heart.

Suddenly, a shadow clone of Naruto appeared without a word and took the scalpels, while Kabuto stared at the original in shock. But he decided that this was not the time to think about it, and went on with his attack. His aim was extremely precise, and Naruto could barely counter attack, because he was being driven to the wall with each attack. He was also not being able to close his wounds inflicted by Kabuto's scalpels quickly, making him even more angry.

When Naruto's back hit the stone wall, he suddenly felt the Nine Tails rile up. The Kyuubi asked him ferociously, "**What the hell are you doing, brat?**" Naruto shouted back, irritation getting the better of him, "Shut up you stupid fox, I'm trying to concentrate here!"

"**Ha! I doubt that, considering you're the one against the wall!**" the fox shouted, "**If you tapped into my power, you could make short work of that guy.**"

"Don't overestimate yourself, you stupid fur-ball!" Naruto countered, saying, "I don't want to kill him yet anyway. I need him to tell me where Sasuke is."

The fox simply said, "**That is if he knows where that red eyed brat is. And I doubt he would tell you either way.**"

"ENOUGH!" Naruto roared at both of his opponents, and suddenly a single tail of red chakra lashed out from behind him. Kabuto looked to see Naruto's eyes turn red. All of Naruto's cuts which were slowly healing, repaired themselves in an instant. Kitsune suddenly transformed into the red serrated blade, and Naruto's next swing was twice as fast and stronger. Kabuto ducked underneath it, but was kicked in the stomach by Naruto. He allowed himself to fall behind, thinking of what to do next. He signed, "Ninja Art Summoning!"

A huge python suddenly appeared in front of him, but Naruto simply beheaded the python in one slice and continued to attack Kabuto. Kabuto was forced to block with his scalpels, and they broke underneath the force that Naruto had applied. He tried to aim a kick at Naruto's face, but the teen was quicker, and brought down his sword at Kabuto's neck. With no other option left, Kabuto blocked the weapon with his left forearm.

Naruto looked down, confused that Kabuto's arm had not been severed. He took a step back and observed Kabuto's left arm. He was shocked to find that it was not skin, but rather a mass of bone, which was hiding under Kabuto's left sleeve.

Kabuto said darkly, "Looks like you finally got to see it, after all."


	23. Chapter 23: The Sound Is Liberated

**Chapter 23: The Sound Is Liberated**

Kabuto's left hand was longer and paler than his right hand. But at random spots across his hand, some weird lumps of different colored flesh had been attached to his skin. Kabuto extended his hand and aimed his fingers at Naruto, proclaiming, "Digital Shrapnel." Five bullets of bone shot out from each of his fingers. Naruto dodged three of them and knocked the fourth one out with Kitsune. But the fifth one struck him on his left bicep.

The knucklehead stared at Kabuto's hand while his bicep repaired. He said, "That technique… Lee and Gaara had told me about it. What was that guy's name who used it? Kumi…muru, or something, right?"

Kabuto growled, "Kimimaro, you idiot," annoyed that his huge accomplishment was intercepted by Naruto's notoriously poor memory. "I must admit, however, that the idea came from your precious sensei. After all, if a simple eye transplant could give Kakashi Hatake the Sharingan, why couldn't I obtain Kimimaro's Kekkei Genkai in a similar manner?"

Naruto scratched his head, totally confused, "So you got bone powers from an eye transplant?"

Kabuto snarled, and opened his mouth, but then sighed. Rather than explain, he decided to win the fight while he could. He grew a huge sword made of bone from his left hand and charged at Naruto. Naruto brought up his red sword to intercept, but a hole opened up inside the bone sword and caught Kitsune. Kabuto managed to twist the staff blade out of Naruto's hand and followed up with an attempt to behead him. Naruto hopped back.

He said, "So you attached a dead man's arm to your body, did you? But what's with those weird bumps?" He struggled to keep the fox at bay.

The Sound leader smirked and said, "All you need to know that they are for enhancement of power and control." Inside Naruto's psyche, the Kyuubi pointed, and Naruto turned to face the green cylinders. He saw that they were all missing left arms. Naruto said, "You used those arms, didn't you? You're adding their powers to that bone guy's arm. But why do you need to hide it then?"

Kabuto simply waved it in front of him and said, "It is temporary. Soon the integration will be complete and it will look normal." The teen grinned wickedly at that, "So it is not complete yet?"

Kabuto shook his head, saying, "It's not like that. It's like your Kitsune. It can work as a wind sword also, and a staff blade also. But under normal circumstances, it looks like a normal staff blade. Once the integration is complete, my hand will look normal, but it is already complete. It just needs time to change cosmetically."

Naruto nodded, and said, "So even though it looks messed up, it works fine."

Kabuto agreed, "Precisely. And in a few weeks, it will also look proper."

Naruto darted forward, saying, "You ain't got that long." His chakra tail extended and wrapped Kabuto's left arm. He started punching at Kabuto, who extended his bones from his left arm to block the attacks, and also stuck one of them into Naruto's right side, pushing him back, and making him grunt in pain.

Kabuto wrenched his arm free of the chakra tail and created a large axe blade from his arm. He slashes at Naruto and the fox tail intercepted the attack, just as he expected. He put more power into the attack, and the blade cut straight through the red energy of the fox, cutting a gash in Naruto's chest. He continued the attack, and Naruto let the Kyuubi again block the attack, but the next time the axe broke through, he was waiting for it with his Rasengan. However, the Rasengan failed to break through the axe, and Kabuto smirked. Naruto jumped back, trying to shake feeling back into his arm, which had numbed from striking the bone.

Kabuto closed the gap between them, attempting to strike again, but this time, Naruto moved much faster than before, and Kabuto's eyes went wide as he saw a second tail emerge from Naruto's chakra cloak. Naruto punched quickly, and Kabuto tried to block it with his right arm, but was prevented from fully deflecting the attack due to the Nine Tails cloak. Naruto's fists were now wrapped with the fire chakra of the fox, and he scorched Kabuto's right arm, forcing Kabuto to fall back. Kabuto again went for an axe attack, and almost smirked when the two tails moved to intercept it. He prepared to pour his power into the attack, but at the last moment, the tails caught the bony axe between them and held them fast. As Kabuto tried to break through, the tails began to bend, and to the doctor's horror, the bony axe began to break. He quickly pulled back all the bone that he could into his left arm, and managed to kick at Naruto, forcing him to let go.

Naruto growled, "Is that all you've got?"

Kabuto replied, shaking his head, "Not yet. But you are pushing me further than I thought."

A second blade came up from Kabuto's arm, this time a bone scalpel. He aimed it at Naruto and the scalpel went right through the chakra tails, reaching perilously close to Naruto's neck. However, at the last moment, the Kyuubi jerked the boy's head backwards, so that Kabuto's attack opened another gash on his chest, which bled freely. The Genin caught the scalpel with his hand, and tried to wrench it free from Kabuto's grasp. Instead, Kabuto brought his weapon back and cut deep into Naruto's palm.

Kabuto continued his attacks precisely and Naruto was forced to admit that even though he had been using two tails, Kabuto matched him with his new powers. The Genin could not keep him at bay and quickly took another dozen cuts to his body. He fought off Kabuto, trying to think of a new strategy.

The Nine Tails prodded, "**Take more of my chakra.**" But Naruto ignored him, knowing full well that he couldn't control more than three tails of chakra in his best shape. Using three now would be like inviting the Kyuubi to take control of his body. He looked around, searching for the Kitsune, not wanting to show Kabuto that he could summon the staff blade until he had no choice.

The blonde thought, 'I have to figure out something soon, or else I'll bleed out before…' Then a bulb lit inside his head and he thought, 'That's it! Blood! But I don't want to show him the technique. Gah, what should I do?'

Kabuto mocked, "Getting lightheaded, are you?"

Naruto growled back, his decision made, "I'm going to make you sorry that you kept me from healing." He leapt back outside Kabuto's range, and quickly signed thrice, intoning, "Hidden Arts: Blood Clone Jutsu!"

The blood which had been seeping from his injuries joined with the blood already on the floor and started swirling in front of him. Kabuto tried to stab through the cloud of blood, but his attack was suddenly stopped as a clone of Naruto emerge through the cloud, and held his arm tight. The remaining blood formed two clones, who were already launching twin snap kicks at the doctor. The attack hit, sending Kabuto reeling behind. He maintained his posture somehow, and sent off another Digital Shrapnel at one of the clones. He was fascinated when he saw the clone grimace but not explode.

Kabuto retreated to a table to give his head some time to clear from the twin snap kicks. The four Narutos regrouped. The original took advantage by activating a minor jutsu that Jiraiya had taught him, which accelerated healing of his body. He could almost feel his jutsu warring with Kabuto's medical art, but between his enormous chakra and regeneration, he was able to stop the bleeding.

Kabuto grimaced as he saw the injuries he had inflicted begin to fade. Determined not to let Naruto recover too much, he jumped and tried to attack again. But before he could reach, the doctor found himself under attack from all sides.

One of the clones caught Kabuto's right hand with both hands and tails, holding them steady so that the other clone could box Kabuto in the ears. The third clone aimed a Rasengan at his opponent's crotch and the real Naruto fired Cyclone Spikes at Kabuto.

Kabuto avoided the Rasengan by jumping up slightly, just enough for the clone to pass right behind him, while taking the Cyclone Spikes on his left arm. He kicked the clone below him down and stood on top of him. Then the doctor created some more bony bullets and shot them at the clone holding his right hand, while head butting the clone who had boxed his ears.

All the clones grimaced, but still did not explode. However, this gave Kabuto time to retreat. The scientist commented, "These are quite stronger than your Shadow Clones."

Naruto smirked, "My Blood Clones are almost as strong as the original!"

Kabuto replied dryly, "No one likes a braggart."

The doctor created to more giant bone scalpels, even as two clones fired off twin punched at his face. He easily swept them away with his scalpels, but the two of them retreated with only minor cuts, clearing the way for the other two versions of the blonde. The real attack was the Giant Rasengan held by the original and one Blood Clone. They charged, thrusting the four foot sphere at Kabuto's chest. The traitor brought his scalpels up to intercept the chakra orb. After a few seconds of effort, the Rasengan burst apart, forcing all of them away from each other. Kabuto righted himself up, dismayed to see that his scalpels had been completely destroyed, up to the handles.

The four blondes looked at him with fierce determination, but Kabuto sighed and said, "So, it finally came to this."

He reached into a pouch on his belt, and pulled out two capsules, each the size of a bullet. He swallowed them both, and grunted in obvious discomfort. All the Narutos looked at him with confusion and he explained, "Calcium pills. Like plasma pills restore blood, these restore bone density. Except that mine are five times more concentrated and I can put the pills to even better use."

He signed quickly and said, "Hidden Arts: Bone Armor Jutsu." Suddenly, a layer of white bone engulfed his entire left arm. But it didn't stop there. The covering spread across his entire body. Soon, Kabuto looked like he had been made of bone rather than flesh and skin. Only his head remained uncovered.

Two of the clones rapidly charged at him, pummeling the doctor in the chest. Kabuto did not even move, nor did he betray any feeling that he was being affected by their punches. Finally, he flicked them away and a third clone came up, pressing a Rasengan into Kabuto's chest. Kabuto stood his ground, and the Rasengan failed to pierce the armor. Kabuto tossed the third clone into the others.

Naruto was getting annoyed now. "So, he's created an armor. Well, all that weight must slow him down. We'll just have to aim for his head and then get away quickly." The others nodded in assent, one of them nodding slightly later. Naruto frowned at that, but decided to probe there later. They started to move, but suddenly, Kabuto disappeared from in front of them, and reappeared behind them.

Kabuto smirked, "My mind controls these bones. So this armor actually increases my strength and speed."

He attacked again, and the blondes realized that even with all of them working together, they could not keep him at bay. Naruto was getting desperate and thought, 'There's gotta be something that will work!'

Kabuto smirked again, "Getting tired?"

Naruto suddenly channeled his lightning chakra into the Kitsune, which he had picked up a couple of minutes back. The lightning whip extended from the staff blade and Kabuto eyed the weapon warily.

Naruto swung the whip at Kabuto, who did not move, testing whether he could get hurt by it. The whip hit him on the chest, but nothing seemed to happen. He grinned and Naruto released the lightning whip, preserving his chakra. Then he thought, 'Wait, there's that technique. But Grandma did tell me not to use it again. But I've improved since then and I don't have anything else either. Well…'

He looked up at Kabuto and all his clones came back. Naruto snarled, "Alright pal, this is my last technique. My ultimate one. Beat this and you win."

Kabuto gestured confidently and indicated that the boy should continue. Naruto raised his right hand and formed a Rasengan. Kabuto raised an eyebrow. But one of the clones extended his arms, and the Rasengan became bigger, taking on a green hue as it did. Tiny cuts began to appear on the boy's hand, as the Rasengan began to spin faster and faster. It flattened into a disc and turned silver in color. Blood sprayed the floor and his sleeve, as longer gashes opened in his forearms. The edges of the disc split, and it took on the shape of an oversized windmill shuriken.

"WIND STYLE: RASENSHURIKEN!" Naruto roared and brought his arm forward, firing the star straight at Kabuto's left arm. The doctor lazily lifted his hand up to catch the disc.

Without even a slight delay, the Rasenshuriken carved right through the left forearm of Kabuto, destroying his hand down to a molecular level. His eyes wide, Kabuto suddenly flung to the right to dodge the disc, but he was too slow. The disc severed his entire left arm, up to his shoulder. It also claimed a bit of his left ear.

No longer connected to his left arm, Kabuto felt the bone around his body starting to crack and fall. Kabuto staggered away from Naruto, desperately trying to staunch the blood which was flowing freely from the socket of his missing left hand. Against his will, he trembled with fright as the clones bore down on him, and Naruto, whose gashes were closing, said, "Give it up now. It's all over. But, if you tell me where Sasuke is, I can arrange for you to have a trial in the Leaf village, instead of turning you over to the True Sound. I imagine they aren't too happy with you right now."

Kabuto snorted despite his pain, "Well, there's a problem with that. First of all, you don't have the authority to make me an offer like that. Also, I don't know where Uchiha went. Probably off trying to kill his brother again."

Kabuto had managed to cauterize his left shoulder with fire chakra in order to stop the bleeding. But now the skin was totally charred.

He withdrew another object from his pouch and said, "Also, you **assume** you can capture me." Naruto saw a small remote in his hand. But before the blonde could react, Kabuto pressed the button. The green liquid in the cylinders suddenly turned red and burst out of the cylinders. The clone who had been moving forward trying to catch Kabuto was doused with the liquid and immediately disintegrated.

As the other three jumped back, they saw Kabuto staggering towards the other side, where he punched in a button on the wall and a secret door opened up, He half crawled through there, before throwing a flaming match onto the liquid which was now seeping all over the floor.

With only the slightest delay, the entire liquid caught fire and an inferno started spreading quickly around the room. Naruto roared, "KABUTO!" and started to go through the flames, but the clones caught him and one said, "Boss, we have to get out of here or else, we're toast!"

Reluctantly, Naruto nodded and they ran out of the door they had come in through. As they reached outside the citadel, the flames engulfed the entire building and it was slowly razed to the ground.

One of the clones asked, "Do you think he'll live?"

Naruto sighed, "Probably. He's a doctor, after all. He probably had an escape plan set up all this time."

The other clone nodded. Naruto sighed again, saying, "Anyway, guys, excellent work. I better head back now, to inform the True Sound. Release."

One of the clones immediately disappeared, turning back into a pool of blood. But the other duplicate smirked at him. Naruto clapped his hands firmly together and intoned, "RELEASE!" much more firmly. But the clone lifted its head, grinning at him with its eyes glowing like blood.

**"****That's not going to work, brat.**"

**Author's Note: **Hey, what's up guys, I wanted to tell you something. Yes, I have taken parts of my story from other stories, and I've already obtained permissions from all of them. So, if you feel that I'm stealing stuff, I'm not. I wasn't going to post this, but one guy opened my eyes and told me that I could get banned if someone reported me, so I had to post it. Thanks to BlueGlass54 for pointing it to me. Anyway, hope you guys enjoy this chapter, and I'll talk to you guys later. Oh yeah, Happy Reading!


	24. Chapter 24: The Nine Tails, Free?

Author's Note: Hey guys, here's another chapter for you today. Tried to make it a little interesting, hope you enjoy. The ending, I wrote when I was really sleepy, so when I myself read it, I was like, "LOL, WUT?!" But I decided to put it out anyway. A big shout out to loganhunter2, who really took an interest in reviewing every chapter he read so far, thanks a lot bro! Anyway, without further ado, here's your next chapter, and Happy Reading!

**Chapter 24: The Nine Tails, Free?**

Naruto stared at the clone in shock and amazement. "What the hell? Get out of there, you damn fox."

The Kyuubi said mockingly, "**I don't think so, kid. For the first time in almost sixteen years, I have a body again. A small one compared to mine of course, but it'll work.**"

Naruto steadied himself and glared at the fox, "How did you take control of that clone?" The fox barked in laughter and said, "**I had control of it the instant you created it. You see, your blood, when mixed with my chakra, also takes on my will, which is the reason I could control it. If it had been a Shadow Clone, I definitely would not have been able to control it. And it was easier, what with you borrowing so much of my power.**"

Naruto was confused again. "So that means you fought Kabuto with me, didn't you?" The fox replied, its voice bored, "**I couldn't let you die, of course. If you die, I die. Besides, I was hoping to kill him myself actually. It's been a while since I've killed someone.**"

Naruto looked at the fox/clone pointedly and said, "So what now? You can't maintain possession for that forever. The longest I've ever maintained a Blood Clone is around an hour and a half."

The fox growled, "**I know. I was there.**" Then in a softer voice, he said, "**I'm always there.**"

Then the fox's eyes brightened and he said, "**But there's plenty I can do here in an hour. There are so many of your friends here. Kakashi, Iruka, Shizune, and of course Sakura and Ino.**"

Naruto growled, "If you want a fight, I'll give you one."

Kyuubi shook his head, saying, "**You and I are linked together. If I hurt you, I'm hurt too. It has to be someone else.**" Naruto growled, "You'll have to get through me first." The Kyuubi laughed and replied, "**In your current position, that's hardly a challenge. Stone Jacket Jutsu.**" Without any warning, a jacket of stone covered Naruto up to his head.

The Kyuubi smiled, "**Later, brat.**" And with that, the fox turned and ran to the medical camp.

Gai's team were having a tough time with their opponent. Tenten was trying her hardest to distract the Sound shinobi, which was difficult, since he had eight eyes. Just as they were regrouping, an orange blur struck the Sound ninja, beheading him in one fluid motion. Though Tenten was facing that way, she could not make out who it was, before she saw the Sound ninja falling to the ground. Tenten recognized Naruto, who was standing, staring at her.

Gai dispatched the last of the enemies and walked over to Tenten, when suddenly Naruto vanished from in front of the weapons master. Hinata walked over and said, "That was Naruto, wasn't it?" Tenten nodded, shuddering at how cold Naruto's eyes had looked.

She said, "Naruto was acting rather strange just now." Hinata frowned at that and Tenten elaborated, "Stranger than usual."

Naruto tried to break through the stone jacket, but it was too strong. He generated a Rasengan and it broke through the stone around his arm. He managed to extend it a little and his entire right arm broke free of the stone. He slowly began to grind away the stone away from the rest of his body. As he finished, he sniffed the air, finding his own scent heading towards their camp. He headed south, ignoring the other fights around him, doggedly pursuing the Nine Tails.

"Naruto!" Tenten called out.

He slowed down as she trotted towards him. She said, "Thanks for saving me earlier. But weren't you heading for the camp?" Naruto brightened and said, "Oh, I was? Thanks, Tenten!" He sped up, leaving the confused Kunoichi behind. "You're... welcome?" she said.

As Naruto reached towards the camp, he found the trail heading to the left, into the forest. He stood there, confused, 'Why would the fox head to the forest? Unless someone close to me is over there!' He ran into the forest, and was even more confused when the path started ascending. He finally came out onto a cliff and saw the clone/fox sitting there at the edge of the cliff.

As he approached the cliff cautiously, the clone looked behind and smiled. He said, "What are you playing at, Kyuubi?" The clone said, "**Come and sit with me. I just realized, even before the bastard Fourth Hokage sealed me in you, it had been some time since I had seen such a wonderful sunset.**"

Naruto still looked at her, suspiciously, and said, "What did you do?" The clone pulled him down and made him sit, before saying, "**Nothing, I swear.**"

Naruto was even more confused now. "But I thought you wanted to kill someone, didn't you?"

The Kyuubi nodded and said, "**Oh, I do. I do so much. But without my soul, my chakra does not regenerate, so the faster I burn it up, the lesser time I have in this world. So I decided that rather than fighting and killing someone, I could come out here and enjoy the breeze on my fur.**"

Naruto said, "But you're a demon, the ultimate evil made flesh."

Kyuubi looked at him and said, "**Time for a lesson, Naruto. There is no such thing is ultimate evil. I'm evil and I'm proud of it. I don't try to convince myself that what I'm doing is right for a reason. I kill for fun. When I'm not indulging in murder, I like to transform into a sexy girl and seduce men. You picked up the Sexy Jutsu form me, you know, even though I have no idea how. I also like to watch the sunset, and the slow appearance of the stars.**"

Naruto blushed slightly, but said, "You destroyed the Hidden Lakes Village, and would have done the same with the Hidden Leaf." The Kyuubi growled at that and said, "**I have never touched a Hidden Village of my own free will. There are techniques such as the Mangekyo Sharingan which can compel me. I am still not happy that I was forced to destroy the Lakes village. I sometimes am thankful that the Fourth Hokage sealed me, to stop me from doing the same to your village. Sometimes.**"

Naruto said sarcastically, "Maybe you're just going soft. You did save Tenten."

The Kyuubi said, "**I killed an opponent. I considered taking the panda haired girl, but she isn't close enough to you anyway. And she is sleeping with your buddy, Neji, after all.**"

Naruto turned bright red again and said, "What? Neji and Tenten are…"

The Kyuubi said, "**Grow up, will you? Anyway, that Byakugan girl and that doofus with the weird hairstyle were there too, and I couldn't get in a fight with all of them. So I decided that it was not worth it.**"

Naruto said, "So what now?" The Kyuubi said, "**Let's just watch the sunset together.**"

As the sun gradually went behind a cloud, the fox suddenly jammed a kunai into Naruto's hand. Naruto roared in pain. The fox said fiercely, "**I will break that seal one day, Naruto. So be ready until then.**" The clone which the fox had been manipulating disappeared in a pool of blood, and Naruto pulled out the kunai from his hand, grunting in pain. He suddenly felt a weight in his stomach, which he hadn't noticed was gone.

"Naruto!" Ino shouted as she saw the orange clad boy walking slowly towards them. He looked in fine shape except that his right hand was bleeding. He wondered if it was the Kyuubi's revenge, keeping the wound open. Ino rushed towards him and hugged him. Then she began to heal his wounds.

Sakura also walked over to him and aided Ino. As they healed him, he suddenly fell over in exhaustion. They both supported him up and half carried him to a tent at their camp. Ino said, "What happened, Naruto?" Sakura said, "He went off to fight off Kabuto by himself." Ino gasped and said, "How could you, baka?"

Sakura moved over to his right side, healing his arm. "You look like hell, Naruto." He grinned and said, "I've had worse." Then he said, "What happened to Gaara?" The pink haired kunoichi said, "He'll live. What about Kabuto?"

The blonde began telling them of his fight.

Kabuto staggered through the woods, wondering why he continued, having to take plasma pills every ten minutes in order to stay alive. The pain was so great that he could barely move. But more than that, his specimens, his lab, his data was all gone.

A soft and slithery voice came out from his right, "You tried to take my place, Kabuto. But you failed."

"Lord Orochimaru?" Kabuto said out loud. He wondered whether he was dying and being called into the next world.

The hissing voice said, "I am not done with you yet." Kabuto peered intently at the source of his voice and saw it. The two red eyes, with three tomoe and a slit in the middle of them.

"Come, we have pressing matters to attend to. We will head back and take the village some other time." Kabuto followed slowly, smirking at the sight of his former master.

Meanwhile, Naruto had completely healed, now that the fox was providing its regeneration to him again. He went into his psyche and said, "Hey, Kyuubi. I want to ask you something."

The fox stared at him and said, "**Go away, kid. I have nothing to say to you.**"

Naruto pressed on, "When you said that there is no such thing as ultimate evil, what did you really mean?" The Kyuubi turned towards him and said, "**I thought I made myself clear when I explained up there at the cliff.**"

Naruto shook his head and the Kyuubi sighed. It said, "**Well, let's take that Uchiha brat as an example.**" Naruto frowned, but the fox continued, "**He was not evil from the moment he was born. He was made evil due to circumstances. He was turned into evil by the treacherous actions of his brother. He would not have been this way right now, if he had had his parents with him, his entire clan with him, living a life of happiness.**"

Naruto nodded, and the Kyuubi said, "**Look at your friend Gaara, too. He may have appeared like a crazed killer to you first, but you managed to talk him out of it, and look at where he is now. The leader of his village, one of the most respected men in the world. He would not have changed if he was absolutely evil.**"

Naruto pondered over that and then said, "I guess you're right. And what about you, then? What is your reason for being evil? I don't think you've lost someone close to you or anything like that."

The Kyuubi simply said, "**I told you already, I'm evil for fun. I find joy in ripping people apart, and was created in order to do so. You see, the Bijuu are not just monsters. We are also made in this world to keep a balance on the planet. Unless we did, you humans would come far too close to being ultimate evil than us. We keep the balance of power on this world in check, by subduing you humans whenever you act up too much. But now you puny people, who should worship us, seal us in rings and in your own pesky bodies. It makes us so mad, that we long to tear out and kill all of you. But of course, we cannot do that either.**"

Naruto said, "Well, then. It seems as though you yourself are confused about what you can do or not do." The Kyuubi said, "**We are an ancient species, and have appeared in this world much before you. So don't go smart mouthing me. Now get lost, before I get mad again.**"

Naruto exited the psyche and saw Sakura sitting in front of him. He said, "What happened, Sakura?" She said, "You were talking to the Nine Tails, weren't you?" He nodded and she said, "Would you be able to take me into your psyche with you? I want to talk to the demon myself."

Naruto stared at her in amazement and then replied, "He's not in the mood to talk right now, and even if he was, how could I take you into my psyche?" Sakura said, "It's not that hard. Once our chakra is connected, we can feel each other's presence in our minds. That way, if your mind is in your psyche, I can go there too."

Naruto shrugged and said, "In any case, I can't do it right now. I'm exhausted too, and the fox is busy pouting. Maybe some other time." Sakura nodded and left the tent, and Ino came in. She said gently, "Why do you always go overboard?" He grinned sheepishly and said, "I had to, or Kabuto would have defeated me." She said, "Is he really that strong now?"

Naruto nodded and she said, "I had heard that you weren't allowed to use the Rasenshuriken because it hurts your chakra network. Lady Tsunade told me about it in case you ever tried it in front of me. Why did you do it? You could have gotten seriously injured!" He replied, "My chakra control is way better than the last time I used it. Also, this time, except for the few gashes on my arms, nothing has happened to my chakra network. See for yourself and you'll know." She bonked him lightly on the head and said, "Don't you teach me about what to do. I already checked those wounds."

Then she said, "I never thought you would do that again, Naruto. Please take care of yourself, I can't let you die." He said, "Don't worry, I don't plan on dying anytime soon." He leaned in to kiss her and the Kyuubi growled in annoyance.

"Shut it, Kyuubi," Naruto said, as his lips connected with Ino's. They shared a long kiss, and when they broke apart, Naruto beamed in excitement. "Ino, I almost forgot because of the recent events! I completed your jutsu!" Ino looked at him, confused, "My jutsu?"

He said, "Yeah, the one where I have a Rasengan on each of my fingers." She said, "I just gave you that idea to practice your chakra control, Naruto." He said, "Yeah, but it's still pretty awesome. I'll show it to you when we get back." She smiled and said, "Yeah, but you're gonna have to rest for a while till then."

Sometime later, Kakashi entered the tent and said, "Naruto, I don't suppose you've seen Konohamaru anywhere, have you?" Naruto shook his head and said, "I thought he was with you, sensei."

Kakashi said, "My team was fighting one of the targets, and after we took them down, I suddenly noticed that he was gone. I don't know where he is, I've been trying to find him for the past two hours." Naruto looked worried at that, and said, "I'll find him." Ino said, "Definitely not. You're in no shape to go anywhere." Naruto said, "Don't worry, I'll go and come back in a second." With that, he suddenly vanished. Kakashi's eyes widened.

As Konohamaru stared at his opponent, who was about to kill him, Naruto suddenly appeared out of nowhere. He caught the enemy by the hand and threw him back. Konohamaru said, "Naruto? Where did you come from?"

Naruto looked back at him in disappointment and said, "I vouched for you on this mission, Ko. Is this how you repay me? By leaving Kakashi sensei's squad and going off by yourself?"

Konohamaru looked dismayed and said, "It's not like that! This guy is one of our targets and Kakashi sensei was busy fighting another one, so I decided to tail this guy. But he noticed me and started fighting. I was not able to call in for reinforcements."

Naruto said, "All right, now who is this joker?"

Konohamaru said, "I don't know his name, but I saw his face in the pictures of the targets. That's why I went behind him in the first place." The shinobi in question stepped out from the darkness. He had long light blonde hair on the left side of his face, but the right side was cropped and had a darker shade. He had brownish eyes, but there was also a green tinge to them.

The man carried a weapon in his hand. As he stepped out further, Naruto noticed that it was a huge scythe, almost as big as the Kubukiribocho that Zabuza carried. But it had a sharp mean curve to it, and ended in a razor sharp point.

He looked at Naruto with happiness and pointed the scythe at him, saying, "I know you. You're that Leaf Jinchuuriki. I've been wanting to fight you for a long time now. I heard that you crafted quite the weapon. Let's see how it matches up with mine." Naruto helped Konohamaru to his feet and then said, "Since you know me, it is only fair that I should know you."

The Sound shinobi smiled and said, "I am Izuko, former Jonin of the Hidden Mist village. Zabuza was my half-brother." Naruto stared at him in amazement. Zabuza had a half-brother? He replied, "Well, then I hope you are at least half as strong as he was."

Izuko looked at him, annoyed, and said, "I am much stronger than him. I was slated to be the leader of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. That is, before I killed the former leader, because he did not wish to step down. Unfortunately, that didn't sit well with the Mizukage, and he had me thrown out. I found good work in this village. I am an assassin. Let's dance, shall we?"

Before Naruto could say a word, he vanished from in front of their eyes. Konohamaru looked confused, but Naruto smelt the attack coming behind him, rather than seeing it. He shouted, "Ko, duck!" The Third Hokage's grandson ducked just as the scythe swung around where his head had been a split second before. Naruto crossed the gap between them and caught the scythe's pole in his hand. He said, "You wanted to fight me, right? So why not leave him out of this?"

Zabuza's brother grinned, "I thought he would simply get in the way. So I decided to get rid of him, first." Konohamaru shuddered; the amount of killing intent that Izuko exuded was astounding. Naruto looked the assassin straight in the eye and said, "Ko will not disobey my orders. So if you leave him out of this, I promise he will not come in the way."

Izuko contemplated that and finally nodded, shrugging his shoulders. Naruto let go of his weapon and the assassin retreated a bit. Naruto called Konohamaru over and said, "Ko, make sure you don't get in the way, no matter what. Even if I'm dying, you will not step in to save me. If you do, I'll kill myself. Is that clear?" Konohamaru stared at him as though he was mad, but then saw the determination in Naruto's face and said, "Alright, bro. You got it."

Konohamaru retreated and Izuko stepped forward again. Naruto drew Kitsune and Izuko stared at it crazily for a moment before suddenly smiling and saying, "Can I have a look at that?"

Naruto almost fell through the ground and said, "What the hell are you talking about?" The assassin looked at him seriously, and said, "I love weapons. I can't bear to see such a beautifully crafted weapon going up against me, without having a chance to at least examine it first. I swear that I won't do anything to it."

Naruto pondered over the strange request for a moment, but then threw Kitsune towards the assassin. Izuko caught it and then yelled in pain, as a small hole burnt through his hand, the weapon fell to the ground, before disappearing. Naruto slapped his forehead, "Oh, shit! I forgot about the defense mechanism! Sorry about that." The assassin looked at him, obviously in pain, and said, "It is okay. I've had much worse than that. And I only need to touch a weapon to know how well it has been crafted. I must say that it is an amazingly well built toy. How did you make it so strong?"

Naruto replied, "I used steel and titanium alloy to make it, and covered it with a gold plating to ensure it doesn't rust. And I used the Weapon Forge Jutsu to make it."

Izuko stared at him in amazement, and then said, "You know the Weapon Forge Jutsu?" Naruto nodded proudly, and Izuko said, "I am honored to meet someone who knows that technique. I have been searching for the jutsu for many years now, but never found anyone who was capable of using it."

Naruto just stared at him; this guy was an assassin? Izuko said, "However, I guess I've spoken a lot. We must get on with our fight. However, I notice that your weapon has disappeared." Naruto intoned, "Weapon Summoning Jutsu." Kitsune appeared in his right hand and he said, "My weapon can never leave me."

Izuko nodded in appreciation of the boy's talent and then said, "Let's begin then." Naruto held his hand up and the assassin looked confused. Naruto said, "Why do you want to kill us?" Izuko stared at him, amazed. He said, "Because you threatened my village, after all. I consider the Sound village my village now, and anyone who threatens it must die."

Naruto said, "So you pledge your allegiance to Kabuto Yakushi, then?" Izuko said, "I pledge myself to this village. Kabuto was the one who took me in, after the other villages rejected me, not wanting a sadistic killer in their midst, who had already betrayed one village. So if he's the leader of the village, I serve him." Naruto said, "I defeated Kabuto around an hour ago."

Izuko stared at him and his scythe dropped from his hand. He just stood there, stunned. Finally, after a minute or so, he found his tongue. "You... defeated Kabuto?" Naruto nodded and the man said, "Then I must know how much strength you possess. It seems that our fight will be much more interesting than I thought."

Naruto said, "You still want to fight us, even though your master is beaten?" The man said, "I said just now, I pledged my allegiance to this village, not to Kabuto. I couldn't care less what happens to him, as long as this village survives." Naruto stared at him stupefied, and said, "Then why didn't you join the True Sound? Why stay with the Sound village."

Izuko scratched his head sheepishly and said, "Truth be told, I was gonna join the True Sound village as soon as this battle was over. I knew that there would be strong ninjas in the Leaf and Sand village so I wanted to fight them to assess my own battle skill. I must say that after fighting this runt, I was disappointed."

Naruto and Konohamaru's mouths fell open at that, and Konohamaru said, "I'm just a Genin, mate. If you want a real fight, bro can give you one." Izuko nodded and said, "I'm going to join the True Sound now, anyway. So why don't we have a fight just to see how our powers compare?"

Naruto grinned, "I'm never one to back down from a fight. Bring it on."

Izuko said, "Hey, Genin kid. Ko, was it? Call out the fight."

Konohamaru said, "Begin!" and both the blondes rushed towards each other. Naruto started out defensive, knowing that he still needed some time to recuperate, and Izuko charged on the offensive. He aimed a punch at Naruto's stomach, who deflected his arm with Kitsune, and put in a jab of his own. Izuko retreated and said, "One moment. I forgot my weapon." He retrieved his scythe and began charging at Naruto again. The blonde man moved faster than Naruto would have imagined, and the knucklehead realized why he was an assassin. All the blows that he had blocked or dodged were aimed at extremely fatal points of his body.

Naruto dodged an overhand strike of Izuko and tapped him on the shoulder with Kitsune. He waited for a moment and as he thought, Izuko's left shoulder flailed. The blonde assassin frowned and looked down at his arm. He couldn't feel it move according to his wishes. He looked up at Naruto and asked, "What did you do?"

Naruto said, "I used a jutsu developed by the Fifth Hokage, on you. It short circuits your nervous system, making you lose control of your body. If I had managed to hit your spinal cord, you would be on the ground right now."

Izuko waited for a moment, and then said, "Ah, I see. Ingenious. When I try to move my left arm, my right leg is moving. Very effective. But now that I know this, I can move again. Let's continue."

Naruto thought, 'So I can indeed use the Kitsune as a conductor for the Ranshinsho. Not bad, it increases my reach as well. But I shouldn't have done it. After all, we're having a friendly fight, so I need to make sure I don't do that again.'

Izuko read his mind and said, "Please don't stop using attacks just because we are not fighting seriously. I am going to fight with my full strength, so don't hold back against me. Give it your all."

Naruto nodded, and they both resumed their fight. Konohamaru stared in awe, as he could barely make out the flurry of combat that his bro and the Sound ninja were engaged in. 'Wow! Bro is really as strong as a Jonin! He's so fast!"

The fight went on for nearly an hour, before both the shinobi came to a stop, panting a little. Naruto straightened up and helped Izuko up as well. The assassin looked at him in surprise and said, "How are you so strong? You're much younger than I am."

Naruto quoted some words which Kakashi had said to him, "In the shinobi world, there are some who are younger than Ko here, but are stronger than me." Izuko nodded and shook his hand. After performing the Seal of Reconciliation, he said, "It's been an honor, Naruto Uzumaki. I hope that we can have another fight one day. I vow that I will not stop training and I will try my best to surpass you."

Naruto smiled and said, "I'll look forward to that. Now, Ko, we must get going. Kakashi sensei was going nuts over the fact that you were missing. Later, Izuko."

Izuko said, "I'll come with you. After all, our paths are towards the village anyway. And I doubt that the True Sound will take me in immediately. So, I could use your help a bit." Naruto nodded and the three of them walked back to the village. When they reached the True Sound shinobi, all of them blanched at the sight of Izuko. They looked from him to Naruto and their expressions changed to that of amazement and confusion. Naruto said, "I fought Izuko just now. He told me that he never swore allegiance to Kabuto, and always wanted the best for the village. Take him in, he will help you guys out a lot." The True Sound shinobi nodded, still regarding the assassin with suspicion and a little fear. But Zabuza's brother smiled at them and said, "Despite what it looks like, I am not really that bad. My crazy attitude is all an act to make my enemies intimidated. It might have been the reason that the council of the Mist village was not happy about me being the leader of the Seven Swordsmen. But I swear my allegiance to this village and will do whatever it takes to serve it with my life."

He knelt down on one knee and Shin walked up to him, placing his hand on the assassin's shoulder. Izuko looked up to see Shin holding a headband in his hand. He tore off his old headband and replaced it with the one Shin gave him. Everyone relaxed and Naruto said, "Well, that's that dealt with. Later guys, we gotta head back to camp." Everyone waved him goodbye and the two knuckleheads went back to where Kakashi was waiting nervously.

Kakashi jumped onto Konohamaru and sat on top of him as soon as they reached back. "WHERE WERE YOU, BAKA?" he roared at the top of his voice.

Konohamaru blanched; he had never seen Kakashi this angry before. He said, "You guys were busy fighting a target, I spotted another one, so I went to tail him. Unfortunately, he found me and engaged me before I could call in for reinforcements." Kakashi said, "YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE WANDERED OFF LIKE THAT! WHAT WOULD I HAVE SAID TO THE HOKAGE IF SOMETHING WOULD HAVE HAPPENED TO YOU!"

Suddenly everyone understood why Kakashi was raging like that, and they stifled their laughter. Konohamaru didn't realize that and spoke up, "Aren't these the choices that a Chunin would make? I thought that part of being a ninja was taking risks, right?"

Kakashi froze, and got up. Konohamaru got up too, dusting himself and said, "And what's got into you, geez! As if anyone here is going to report you because I went off!" Kakashi said, "I am responsible for you on this mission, I could have been demoted, or even dismissed if anything happened to you! Don't ever disobey orders like that again." Konohamaru said, "I won't. I'm sorry, sensei."

Kakashi nodded. Then he gave Konohamaru his eye smile and said, "Now, that being said, I'm proud that you took the initiative and tailed that ninja. It is indeed what separates a Chunin from a Genin. Well done."

Everyone relaxed and went back to their jobs. Ino walked up to Naruto and said, "You got into a fight again, didn't you? I told you to relax!" He grinned and said, "It wasn't a serious fight. I was just testing my skills against a True Sound shinobi." He proceeded to tell her everything that had happened. She sighed, and thought, 'My boyfriend, the baka.'

Everyone headed back to the Leaf village, and the Sand ninjas split off in the way, heading back to their own village. The ninjas reached their villages and went off to their houses, except the team leaders, who reported to the Hokage. Naruto said, "Ino, I'll meet you back at home. I need to speak to Grandma Tsunade." She nodded and he headed off.

As he reached the office, he came in through the window and a kunai flung through it, barely missing his head. Tsunade looked at him and said, "What the hell are you doing, baka? You scared me for a moment! No one comes in my office like this!" He smirked and said, "Pervy Sage does, and I don't see a kunai flung when he comes in!"

She blushed momentarily before saying, "I know his chakra signature very well, so I know when he comes in. But don't ever do that again. Now, what do you want?"

Naruto said, "I'm here to report the battle. After all, I'm the one who defeated Kabuto." She nodded and said, "Let's wait for the team leaders. Then we'll hold a conference in the lower chambers." He waited for a moment and then the team leaders began coming in, either through the door, or shunshining straight in.

Naruto saw Gaara, Temari, Kakashi, Genma, Shikaku, Gai and Iruka. He frowned, 'I have to ask Iruka sensei about his team sometime. I never knew that the crazy snake woman was in his team.'

Everyone headed to the lower floors below the Ninja Ops where they had first seen Shin, and began to speak. Naruto began to get bored, but didn't do anything, because Tsunade had her eye on him the entire time. She said, "Naruto, give me your battle report. Then you may go."

He gave them a blow by blow account of what he had seen and done. Everyone's eyes widened as they heard of his Blood Clone Jutsu. Tsunade said, "Did you learn this technique at that trip too, Naruto?" He nodded and she said, "Proceed." After he finished telling them everything, she said, "Alright. Everyone present here should note that speaking about any of this, especially Naruto's jutsus, is strictly forbidden. Okay, Naruto, you may go. We have some important matters to discuss before we will retire for the night as well." Naruto left as Tsunade said, "The second phase of the exams just got over, Gaara. I must say, your Genin this year are truly remarkable. We should…"

Naruto headed back home and saw Konohamaru waiting there for him. He said, "What's the matter, Ko? And why didn't you go in?" Konohamaru said, "I wanted to say sorry to you, bro. You trusted in me and brought me on that mission, and I screwed up. Sorry."

Naruto ruffled his hair, and said, "Ha! You really think that I wouldn't do the same if I was in your place? Don't be so down, Ko! I was only mad because you didn't tell anyone that you were going. It's alright." Konohamaru brightened and said, "Thanks bro!"

"Anytime, Ko."

"See you later, bro!" Konohamaru took off and Naruto went in, sniffing at the delicious smell that had pervaded his senses. Ino smiled at him and said, "I thought we should celebrate the success of our mission by having some…"

"RAMEN! MY RAMEN! MY DELICIOUS RAMEN, HOW I'VE MISSED YOU!" Naruto roared in excitement and ran towards the hot bowl of ramen waiting on the table. Just as he was about to sit, Ino stepped in front of him and said firmly, "Wash your hands and feet before sitting to eat, Naruto-kun."

He groaned in disappointment and said, "You're a real mood killer when it comes to ramen, Ino." She simply smiled and he went to the bathroom. Once he was clean, he came back and they sat to eat. After that, the two of them simply sat on the couch together, looking out towards the window. They sighed in satisfaction.


	25. Chapter 25: Naruto's Trial

**Chapter 25: Naruto's Trial**

A week after the mission of the Sound Liberation, Naruto and Konohamaru had been called in to stand before the village elders, although they were not told why. They headed off with the ANBU who had informed them, and Naruto realized that they were headed to the stadium where his Chunin Exams finals had been held. He went inside with Konohamaru, both wearing their trademark outfits.

As they entered the stadium, Konohamaru gaped in awe. It seemed that the entire village was present at the stadium. They went to the center of the stadium and saw Tsunade, along with the three village elders, Danzo, Homura and Koharu. Gaara and his siblings were sitting next to them. Near them, in the rows behind, Naruto noticed Kakashi, Gai, Shikaku, and many other Jonin. On the left hand side were all his friends, the rookie eleven, and Konohamaru's friends. Ino looked at him sadly, and Sakura was also looking worried. He saw Moegi looking sorrowfully at Konohamaru and Udon was also looking quite serious.

Tsunade tapped the mic and the entire crowd went quiet. She said in a stern voice, "Naruto Uzumaki and Konohamaru Sarutobi, you have been summoned before the Leaf Village to answer for your questionable actions during the Sound Liberation. Naruto, you disobeyed the direct order of your mission leader, a higher ranking shinobi, and a Kage, no less. Moreover, you did this in a war, knowing the importance of the situation. Konohamaru, you disobeyed your team leader's order to stay with him and went off on your own, even though you knew that you were not qualified enough to do so. Explain your actions. Konohamaru, you may speak first."

Konohamaru put his hands in his pockets, shrugged and said, "I acted in the interest of the mission. I had a visual on an important target of the Sound village. Since my mission leader was busy in another battle with the rest of my teammates, I had to follow that target myself. I was going to contact my leader but unfortunately, the target I was following was a Jonin, and he caught sight of me, engaging in combat. I was unable to call for support, and was about to be killed when Naruto saved me. He was able to talk the target out of killing me and also persuaded said target to join the True Sound village. All in all, I think I did nothing wrong, as any ninja should consider their mission more precious than some silly order."

Tsunade said, "I see. We will come back to you later. Naruto, what do you have to say for yourself?"

Naruto nodded and said, "There isn't much to tell. Gaara was seriously wounded in the fight against Kabuto Yakushi. He tried to tell us that he wanted to fight Kabuto, but he was too injured. I told my team-mates to head back while I fought Kabuto. They protested at first but I persuaded them to listen to me and went off to fight Kabuto."

Koharu leaned forward and spoke into her mic, "What we need to know is why you disobeyed the orders of your team leader. The Kazekage does not remember saying anything after his injury."

Naruto said, "Look, I'm not Gaara. I can't tell what was going on in his head at that moment. I just did what was right for the sake of the mission. Gaara was so badly injured that if he had not received immediate medical attention, he could have died." Danzo said, "Why did you take matters in your own hands?"

Naruto said, "I've known Gaara for quite some time. In case you guys don't remember, I was the one who fought him during the attack on our village four years ago. I was the one who confided my feelings with him, and made him realize that he is not a bad person. Since then, Gaara has become very protective and caring. But it is also true that he still feels the intense desire for revenge after his father was killed by Kabuto. I sure as hell would feel mad if my father was killed by someone who was still out there, living. It's the same feeling that Sasuke has against his brother Itachi."

Everyone froze at that, but Naruto continued, "At that moment, I realized that the emotions had taken over Gaara, ya know? After all, he picked me because of my experience against Kabuto. He was injured and I was still healthy. Besides, Gaara is the Kage of one of the Five Great Nations. I'm just a Genin. A few people would mourn over my death, but imagine the turmoil that would be caused if the Kazekage died, when he needn't have."

Homura was interested by this answer and he said, "Let me ask you something. Sakura and Neji were able to evacuate Gaara to the medical camp without any trouble. If you had known about this when you took charge, would you have let someone stay back with you?"

Naruto pondered on that for a minute and then replied, "No I would not. Sakura is a medic, she was responsible for keeping Gaara alive while they made it back. And everyone knows that Neji is one of the most powerful members of his clan. His scouting abilities and Byakugan are basically what allowed them to make it through without virtually any fighting. If either one of them had not been there, they most probably would have ended up fighting someone and Gaara may have died."

Everyone considered that and Naruto said exasperatedly, "Look, I'm not going to admit that I made a mistake or something like that, all right? Neither is Konohamaru. We acted for the best of the mission and I 'm pretty sure that any other shinobi who isn't afraid of dying would have done the same. And despite my rank, I don't hold any doubts that I could easily defeat more than half of the ninjas in the Leaf village quite easily. I defeated Neji in my first Chunin exams. I know my battle prowess more than anyone else in the world, except maybe the Pervy Sage, who isn't here right now. So if you're going to demote us or decommission us or something, just get it over with."

Tsunade looked at all the other sitting next to her and they all nodded, except for Danzo. She glared at him and he waved his hand at her, irritated. Tsunade stood, shifting her stare back to the Genins.

She said, "There seems to be a slight misunderstanding, Naruto. We are here to judge you, not punish you. Everyone here knows that a good ninja is one who follows orders, but a great ninja is one who knows when orders must be stretched or disobeyed. We also know that things change in the heat of battle. A ninja must be adaptable. It takes a great deal of wisdom to see how to act as to what is needed. Until now, we were doubtful whether the two of you really had that wisdom. But your actions and defense of them have convinced us that you really have grown."

Her face turned proud.

"Therefore, it is my greatest honor, in the name of the Tribunal and with the agreement of the Kazekage, to grant the two of you the rank of Chunin, with all the privileges and responsibilities that come with them."

Naruto and Konohamaru just stood there, dumbfounded, as the entire crowd rose to their feet and cheered. Their friends swarmed towards them and Kiba patted him on the back, so hard that he almost fell over. The Tribunal stood, and Tsunade clapped, while the other elders looked on in appreciation. Danzo simply stalked out of the stadium. But Naruto still did not react.

Realizing he was surrounded, he started to look around. Someone kept shaking his hand, or hugging him, but he had eyes only for one person. And then, she was there, tears of joy running down her cheeks, and a radiant smile on her lips.

"Congratulations, Naruto." Ino said, her voice full of happiness. She blushed as he cupped her face, and then right in front of more than fifty thousand people, he kissed her. And in that instant, she was all he knew existed.

He felt her put her arms around him, pulling them together, pressing her body to him, crushing her breasts against his chest. He could smell her skin and hair, and marveled at the gentle plumpness of her lips against his. He moved his hand slightly up her back, and she shuddered in pleasure. He shifted his face, changing the angle of his kiss, so not an inch of her lovely mouth went unattended.

Finally, the need to breathe overtook them and they broke apart.

Naruto said, "I love you, Ino." She smiled, "I love you, too."

Suddenly the two of them became aware that they had kissed in front of almost the entire village. The tone of cheers had changed to catcalls and wolf whistles. The Hokage and elders pretended that they were annoyed by this sudden display, but it was obviously an act. In the entire crowd, only one face seemed sad at the display, and that was Hinata's.

But Sakura could not bear to look at her team-mate. The medical kunoichi was looking down at the floor, tears running down her sad and disappointed eyes. She turned and walked away, pushing her way through the crowd. Kakashi watched her leave with a narrowed eye.

Ino blushed deeply, having realized that they had made their relationship known to the whole village, as well as all their friends. Naruto whispered, "Let's get out of here." She nodded, and said, "Okay."

Naruto held her up in his arms and suddenly disappeared in a flash. Again, Kakashi looked at the spot where Naruto had just been, in amazement. The cheering gave way to laughter, and Naruto's friends and allies settled down.

Konohamaru was also congratulated heartily, and he and his friends went off to have a party, celebrating him becoming a Chunin. Tsunade looked at Gaara, and said, "Good for him." Gaara nodded with a tiny smile, and suddenly, Jiraiya appeared out of nowhere.

"Did I miss it?"

Tsunade glared at him, "Of course you did. You stupid fool, you're always late for everything. Where the hell were you?" Jiraiya groaned, and said, "I was so sure that I would make it in time! Why didn't you call me?"

Tsunade punched him in the head and said, "I called thirteen times, baka! Where were you that you didn't receive my calls?"

Jiraiya rubbed his head and said, "Mount Myoboku."

The finally official couple sat on top of the Fourth Hokage's head, watching the glow of the setting sun. They clung onto each other's hand tightly, Ino's head on Naruto's shoulder. Then she sighed.

Naruto looked at her in concern, "What is it, Ino?"

She told him, "I think we should get back now. Everyone will want to see you, and I don't think it's fair that I keep you all to myself. Much as I want to. I wouldn't be surprised if everyone's still waiting for you back there."

He grinned and said, "Too bad for them, they should understand that I want to spend time with my girlfriend." Ino smiled and said, "Regardless, I think four hours of making out on top of the Fourth's head is quite a lot of time." He grinned sheepishly and she said, "Besides, we should be there for the party."

His grin turned into a look of confusion and said, "Party?"

She said, "The village has the first battlefield promotion in more than a decade and you don't think there'll be a party? I wouldn't be surprised if Master Jiraiya is setting things up as we speak."

He nodded and they both got up. He said, "Hold on tight, then. I'll get us back in no time!"

The two of them reappeared next to Jiraiya, who was busy arranging for a music system. He looked at them and said, smiling, "Not a bad choice, Naruto." The knucklehead grinned and said, "Thanks. By the way, where were you, old man?" Jiraiya opened his arms wide and hugged Naruto, saying, "Congrats Naruto. I'll tell you where I was later, we need to enjoy the party now." Naruto nodded. They went back into the crowd, Naruto shaking hands with everyone enthusiastically now.

Konohamaru and his gang had come back from their little party now, and they congratulated each other. Everyone looked in awe, not having paid that much attention to their matching uniforms and the figures they cut. As Jiraiya started playing some music, everyone roared in delight and began to take to the floor.

The party lasted until midnight, when Tsunade walked over tipsily to Jiraiya and said, "Alright, that'sh quite a lot of time, Jiraiya. We should get thish over with." He nodded and said into the mic, "Unfortunately, the Hokage has her duties to attend to, and any more loud music will be illegal as it isn't allowed after midnight. So, we'll have a last song tonight and then, the party will officially be over."

Everyone groaned in disappointment and then shouted gleefully as the last song was a fast paced one, and they began to dance again for the next five minutes. Finally after the party ended, everyone went back to their houses slowly, congratulating Naruto and Konohamaru again before they went.

Ino and Naruto walked back home, and continued their kissing battle with each other. Today was the day when Naruto's inner voice didn't stop him from continuing, and they spent the night happily, forgetting about everything else except each other.

**Author's Note**: Sorry for the short chapter guys, but I've got an exam coming up tomorrow, so I'm totally screwed. Computer Engineering is not that easy, now that I think of it. So, anyway, maybe I'll write another chapter tomorrow after the exam, but it's a big maybe. I don't know. So, enjoy and Happy Reading!


	26. Chapter 26:Jiraiya's Plan, Ino's Mission

**Chapter 26: Jiraiya's Plan, Ino's Mission**

Ino woke up, and sighed in happiness. It had been a week since their public proclamation to the village. Most of their friends had been very happy for the two of them, although Ino had sensed that Hinata was sad and disappointed. She thought, 'I have to make it up to her, somehow or the other. She must see that there are other guys out there as good as Naruto is.' As she thought of her sweetheart, she suddenly gasped and looked at the calendar. 'OH NO! It's only a month from now that Naruto will have his sixteenth birthday! How could I forget such an important thing?!'

Sixteen was considered coming of age in the Land of Fire. It was a big deal for ninjas as well, because they were no longer burdened with any of the restraints of childhood. Most ninjas were mature enough at the age of twelve to thirteen itself, and so, they were only considered children because of the age factor. Once they officially turned adults, the ninjas were free to vote, to marry…

Ino blushed as she considered that. Then the birthday issue came back to her mind and she sighed. 'Naruto doesn't have parents who can throw him a party. I'll have to do whatever I can for him. I should meet Kakashi sensei; he'll know what to do. And Iruka sensei can also help me out.'

Just then, Naruto turned over in his sleep and she looked at him, but he just went on sleeping, and drooling, presumably over ramen. Ino got out of bed, still thinking of what she could do. 'I should make a list of people first. But no, unless I don't have a place to organize…'

The platinum blonde got ready and sat to have some breakfast. As she chewed her sandwich, she thought out loud, "Perhaps Teuchi-san may be willing to provide the food, but his restaurant isn't big enough. Maybe I should…"

But maybe what she would was never known because Naruto walked out of their room sleepily, asking, "Did you say something about old man Teuchi, Ino?" Ino blanched; she wanted to keep the party a secret after all. She replied quickly, "Yeah, I was wondering when I could go to Ichiraku's today, considering that I have that mission in Tanzaku Town."

Naruto stared at her and she suddenly realized, 'I didn't tell him that I was going today! What is wrong with me?' She said, "Sorry, I forgot to mention it to you, Naruto-kun. It was handed to me yesterday, and my mind control abilities are well suited for the task." Naruto nodded, and went to brush his teeth. Ino sighed in relief and continued to think. She was so engrossed in her thinking that she didn't hear the knock on the door. Naruto said loudly from the bathroom, "Get the door, Ino!"

She came out of her trance with a jump and went to the door immediately. An ANBU member stood in front of her and said, "Lady Hokage wishes to see you in ten minutes." She nodded and the ANBU member disappeared. Ino strapped on her weapon pouches and checked her outfit, while Naruto finished washing up. He came out and she said, "Tsunade-sama wants to see me. I should get going, Naruto. See you soon!" He nodded and she quickly pecked him on the cheek and left, leaving him to have his breakfast. He frowned in thought; Ino had been nervous since morning, was she hiding something from him? He thought, 'Best not to trouble her yet. If she wants to tell me, she will.' After he finished his breakfast, he went to training ground 7 and started doing his everyday exercises.

Ino reached the Ninja Ops, all the while thinking of a present that she should get him. She saw the Hokage looking out of the window. Tsunade nodded at her and the blonde shunshined into the office. Tsunade began without preamble, "Ino, that job I gave you at Tanzaku Town is being upgraded to an A-rank mission. I'm sending Choji and Shikamaru with you now, because of the sudden change in rank. It seems as though the infiltration is going to be tougher, because the guards around the mansion have more than tripled overnight. So, the three of you will need to be careful."

Ino nodded and said, "Has any parameter of the mission been changed, apart from the guards tripling?" Tsunade nodded and said, "Previously, you had only to learn of the contents of the target's mind. Now, you not only have to learn them, but also assassinate the target." Ino froze, and then said, "Surely assassination missions should be handled by the ANBU? Or at least a Jonin level ninja?"

Tsunade sighed and said, "I have no doubt they should. Unfortunately, most of the Yamanaka Jonins are off on missions now, and no one else can complete the job apart from your clan. Which is why I'm sending your team-mates with you."

Ino sighed and said, "Well, I'll do it, of course." Tsunade sensed the tension in her and asked, "Is something wrong, Ino? You look a little worried." Ino said, "It's only a month to Naruto's birthday. I feel that I should plan something for him, but with such a short amount of time, it would be impossible to manage something on the scale of a normal coming of age birthday celebration."

Tsunade said, "I see. And since Naruto has no parents, he will not understand the significance of this event. But even then Ino, I'm sure that you will be able to do something or the other for him." Ino said, "I'll be gone the entire day today. Most birthdays are planned two months earlier. How am I going to do this?"

Tsunade's heart went out to the girl but she couldn't do anything. She said, "You'll just have to come up with something. Meanwhile, forget about Naruto for a while and concentrate on your mission. Choji and Shikamaru will meet you at the gates in fifteen minutes. Get going." Ino nodded sadly and left.

Naruto finished his usual TaiJutsu set with his clones and sat on the ground, panting. He had not been focusing today, because he was concerned about Ino. As a result, he had taken some extra punches and kicks. Even the clones had sensed that something was wrong with him, but they couldn't do anything about it, or he would just dispel them anyway.

Naruto couldn't stop thinking, 'What could Ino keep from me? Did I do something wrong?' Just then, a powerful gust of wind blew across the training ground, and Naruto looked up to see his mentor standing right next to him. He smiled, "How's it goin', Pervy Sage?"

Jiraiya said, "Well, remember when you asked me why I was late to your Chunin promotion? I'm gonna tell you that today." Naruto said lazily, "I don't need to know. Most probably you were at some hot springs doing **research**."

Jiraiya's eyebrow twitched and he said, "You know, I don't spend all my time in research. I have other important businesses to attend to as well. You should be thankful that I take my time out to give you the training that you need." Naruto stared wide eyed at him and said, "You're gonna train me again?" Jiraiya shook his head and said, "Not me." He signed and said, "Ninja Art: Summoning Jutsu!"

Lord Fukasaku suddenly appeared out of the white smoke and said, "Hello Jiraiya boy. What did you need from me?" Jiraiya said, "The thing we spoke about last week. I swear you're getting as forgetful as the old one."

Fukasaku looked at Naruto and nodded saying, "Ah, yes. Naruto boy, Jiraiya here has asked me to train you in Sage Arts." Naruto looked confused and said, "Sage Arts? What is that?" Jiraiya said, "Allow me to show you." He sat down and Lord Fukasaku jumped onto his shoulder. Jiraiya started meditating, and Naruto started getting bored. But just as he was going to ask impatiently what was going on, he notices Jiraiya's hands lengthening. Naruto freaked out and yelled, "Hey Pervy Sage! What's happening to your hands?!"

Jiraiya continued meditating and Lord Fukasaku answered instead, "Jiraiya boy is gathering nature energy. It is the energy that flows around us in the universe. However, he is not perfect at it, and so he gains some features of a toad when he uses Sage mode." Naruto continued, still freaked, "No way am I going to do this! Imagine how everyone will laugh at me if I turn into a toad halfway in a fight!"

Lord Fukasaku calmly stated, "Not everyone turns toad-like after utilizing nature energy. Some are more adept at it than others. Jiraiya boy isn't one of them, but you might be able to master it if you try." Naruto pondered on that and said, "Well, if the Pervy Sage couldn't do it, how could I?"

Fukasaku answered, "Jiraiya boy told me that you have completed the final form of the Rasengan. Something that even he could never do. So do you think this is any different?" Naruto took some time to think, and Jiraiya got up. His nose had become spotty and he had acquired a goatee as well. And his eyes had also turned into toad eyes. Jiraiya said, "Well, Naruto, it is time to show you some of the advantages of Sage Mode."

Naruto asked, "It just looks like you're halfway between a man and a toad, Pervy Sage." Jiraiya smiled and said, "Form a Rasengan."

Naruto created a Rasengan with his left hand, confused at the strange request. Jiraiya said, "Make it a little bigger, around a foot in diameter." Naruto responded and the spiraling orb in his hand became bigger. Then the pervert said, "Now attack me with it."

Naruto nearly unraveled the Rasengan in surprise, and said, "Are you insane?" Jiraiya said, "Don't worry, just do it." Naruto said, "You asked for it, old man." He dashed towards his mentor and aimed the orb straight at Jiraiya's stomach. The man waited, and as Naruto reached the point of no-return, he created a Rasengan, even bigger than Naruto's, in less than a millisecond. He thrusted it towards his student's orb, and Naruto's eyes widened, as his Rasengan was totally crushed, and he was sent flying backwards.

Naruto got up, shaking his hand, and said, "How did you do that so fast, Pervy Sage? You've never formed the Rasengan so fast before! And of that size too." Jiraiya face palmed and said, "That's my point, baka. In Sage Mode, you are much faster and stronger than you are in a normal state. That's because nature energy is much stronger than our own physical and spiritual energy."

Naruto nodded and said, "So, how strong is that? If you have any statistics?" Jiraiya scratched his head and said, "That's a tough one. But I'll tell you this; when you're in Sage Mode, you can punch enemies without touching them." Naruto stared at him incredulously, and said, "You're kidding! How can you do that?"

Jiraiya said, "Well, since you are using nature energy, you can influence your punches using the nature energy around your fist. So if you're close to your enemy, and are unable to land a punch, you can simply extend your punch with the nature energy." Naruto looked a little confused and said, "Well, I don't understand stuff like that. You'll have to show me." Jiraiya said, "No way, Frog Kumite is way too tough for you to absorb, even with your regeneration." Naruto grinned and said, "Shadow Clone Jutsu."

Jiraiya grinned as Naruto's Shadow Clone popped into existence, and said, "Alright, now I'll take him out with a Sage Mode enhanced punch." He vanished from in front of Naruto's eyes and suddenly appeared in front of his clone. The pervert aimed a punch which flew to the right of the clone's face, and suddenly the clone fell backwards, a dent in his cheek. The clone was dispelled. Naruto's eyes widened, as the clone's memories rushed into his mind and he said, "Awesome! When do I start training in Sage Mode?"

Lord Fukasaku stepped in and said, "Well, you can't do it right away. See, Sage Techniques require you to be able to sense nature energy. Unless you can sense it, you cannot utilize it, and so you won't be able to learn it easily." Naruto clenched his fist and said, "Well, I'm not one to quit, no matter what! Coz that's my Ninja Way!" Fukasaku nodded and said, "Well, then. You will have to come with us to Mount Myoboku to train under me."

Naruto froze; then he said, "Mount Myoboku?" Lord Fukasaku nodded and Naruto said, "How long would I be gone?" The old frog looked at Jiraiya and the two of them nodded. Jiraiya said, "Well, the training is different for everyone. I did it between missions and my personal life, so it took me around three years."

Naruto shouted, "Three years! No way!"

Jiraiya held up his hand and Naruto stopped yelling. The pervert continued, "But with you, I think it will take around a month or so. You see, you are much more persistent than I am. Also, I started training during the Third Great Ninja War. That's why it took me so long. And you have your Shadow Clones to help you along the way." Naruto thought about it and said, "Alright then. If you can clear up my schedule with Grandma Tsunade, I'm in."

Jiraiya paled; he hadn't considered asking his team-mate about this. He stammered, "Well… I'll s…see what I can do." Fukasaku grinned and said, "Well, summon me when everything is dealt with, Jiraiya boy. See you." He disappeared and Jiraiya turned over to face Naruto again. He said, "Let's go to Tsunade right away."

Naruto nodded and Jiraiya put his hand on the boy's shoulder. The two of them disappeared and reached the rooftop of Ninja Ops. They descended and entered Tsunade's office. She looked up and said curiously, "Hey, you two. What do you want today?" Jiraiya said, "It's that thing I spoke to you about that day during Naruto's promotion. About Mount Myoboku." Tsunade said, "Yeah, but you didn't tell me what you had planned, apart from taking Naruto there."

Jiraiya came closer to her and said, "I'm planning to have Lord Fukasaku train Naruto in Sage Arts." Tsunade's eyes widened. She said, "But…but that will take him so long!" Then she whispered furiously so that Naruto couldn't hear her, and said, "He's already stronger than anyone in the village!" Jiraiya nodded gravely and said, "But he's still not strong enough. Imagine him facing someone like Kisame Hoshigaki or even worse, Sasuke."

Tsunade froze and considered the statement. Then she said, "Alright then. How long will he be gone?" The pervert replied, "About one month."

She yelled again, "WHAT?! I can't have him gone for that long! He's already been gone for three years already!" Jiraiya whispered to her, "I have new intel regarding the Akatsuki. I needed to tell you anyway, so it's good that we're here. But Naruto will need to go."

The Hokage turned to Naruto and said, "Naruto, get lost." Naruto shouted, "SAY WHAT?!"

Tsunade said, "Now." He caught the serious look on her face and said, "I'm heading back to the training ground, Pervy Sage. I'll be there till evening if you need me." Jiraiya nodded and said, "Sounds good. I'll probably need to talk to you soon." Naruto vanished and Tsunade sat back in her chair, and crossed her fingers together. "What is it, Jiraiya?"

The old man said, "I got this month's report from him. It seems that the Akatsuki are perilously close to finding and capturing the Two Tails. He said that their leader Pein, stated that they would have to capture the Nine Tails next to maintain the balance of chakra in the shell of the Ten Tails."

Tsunade sighed and put her hand to her head. "So, it's finally come to that, huh? I guess you're right. We can't let Naruto remain in the village if the Akatsuki are coming to capture him. I guess that's why you're trying to get him to learn Sage Mode?" Jiraiya said, "That's one of the reasons. I've heard that Pein possesses the Rinnegan, something that I've only ever seen Nagato with. I'm curious about this power, because I never really saw how it works, since Nagato was too scared to ever utilize it."

Tsunade suddenly said, "What if Pein is Nagato?"

Jiraiya froze. He said, "I didn't consider that."

The female Sannin said, "Well, it could be true. After all, we don't know what happened to them after you left them. If only they had joined the Leaf back then, things would be so different today."

He sighed and said, "We have no way of knowing that right now anyway. Our contact said that Pein had orange short hair, while we know that Nagato had red hair. And he cannot be fooled by a GenJutsu or a transformation."

Tsunade said, "Those eyes are a mystery. We can only guess what is going on right now. To think that putting our best man in the Akatsuki is still not enough."

Jiraiya said heavily, "He sure did pay a big price to serve his village loyally. I've asked him time and again to come back, but he says he's onto something bigger than Pein." Tsunade's eye widened and she said, "Something bigger than Pein? What's that?" He replied, "He said that he would tell me only if his suspicions were true. He said he couldn't let any false rumors spread."

Tsunade sighed again and then suddenly remembered. "Jiraiya, it is Naruto's birthday next month! I totally forgot about that!" Jiraiya said, "It's too late to worry about something as stupid as birthdays. His life hangs in the balance." She said, "I guess you're right. Okay then, have him go to Mount Myoboku as soon as possible. I'll get his schedule cleared."

Jiraiya nodded and said, "Take care." She smirked, "Speak for yourself." He vanished and she looked out of the window, thinking, 'Naruto. You soon might become even stronger than my grandfather.'

Ino came up to the house and nodded. Shikamaru looked around and signaled to Choji. The big guy gave him a heads up. Shikamaru looked back at Ino and she signed, "Ninja Arts: Sensory Relay!"

Ino sensed thirty-three enemies in and around the house perimeters. She extended her relay to Shikamaru and Choji, who memorized the locations of the guards. Shikamaru whispered, "Alright, there's two ways we can get in there, the dangerous way and the easy way." Ino said, "Well, which one do we take?"

Shikamaru said, "Now obviously, these guards are on the lookout for Leaf or Sand ninjas. But I noticed one of the guards wearing a Stone headband. He may have been a rogue ninja or may just have stolen that headband. I don't know. But I think that if he is a Stone Ninja, we can somehow manipulate these guards into thinking we are Stone Ninjas too." Ino said, "But how will we know?" Then she slapped her forehead and said, "Of course. Give me a moment."

Shikamaru grinned. Ino pointed her hands at the Stone headband wearing guard. She intoned, "Ninja Arts: Mind Transfer Jutsu." As she looked through the guard's psyche, she found out that the target they were after had a spot of respect for Stone Ninjas who he encountered, and had offered some of them jobs as his bodyguards. This guard was one of them. She came out of his psyche and reported that to Shikamaru.

The lazy Chunin said, "Alright, then. We'll just transform into Stone ninjas and ask the guard if we can get jobs here as well." Ino said, "Just like that? Won't that be a little suspicious?" He replied, "Not if the guard himself is a Stone Ninja. He might welcome us, thinking we're just like him."

Ino said, "Let's give it a shot." But then she suddenly paused and said, "Wait a moment. Sensory Relay!" She looked around closely and said, "Oh my God!" Choji said, "What is it, Ino?" She said, "There's a guy in there among the guards who has the Byakugan!" Shikamaru said, "What! How is that possible? No one except the Hyugas have the Byakugan!"

Choji was disturbed and he said, "We should report this to Lady Hokage before we take any actions." Shikamaru nodded and Ino dialed up the Hokage. Tsunade answered, "What happened, Ino? Is there a problem?"

Ino relayed their news to her and she said, "But how can this be? As far as I know, there is no knowledge of anyone having the Byakugan outside the Leaf village, with an exception in the Mist!" Then she realized what she had said, and continued, "No one will speak about what I just said." The three of them replied, "Of course, Milady." She continued, "There is only one known person outside the Hyuga clan who possesses the Byakugan. He is a ninja of the Hidden Mist and they are our allies now. So I don't want this information to get out anywhere. Now, as to our little problem in Tanzaku Town…"

She paused and then said, "New orders. Finish your mission and then investigate the Byakugan user. Capture if needed and interrogate." Ino nodded and said, "Yes, Milady." Tsunade cut the call and Ino straightened up. She said, "What were you saying about dangerous and easy ways, Shikamaru?"

He replied, "Well, the Stone ninja way was the dangerous way. And the easy way, well…" He paused and Ino understood. She almost shouted, "No way! I am not going to do **that**!" She shuddered as she remembered **those** classes she had been forced to take in the Academy. Shikamaru shrugged and said, "It's the only other way that will guarantee us easy access into the house."

Ino frowned and stamped her foot. Then she said, "Fine. But only for the mission." She said, "Turn around." Choji and Shikamaru obediently turned and showed her their backs. She stripped down into her armored undergarments, and then removed them too. She quickly put on some fancy looking lingerie and put on a tight fitting black strapless short dress. It went down to just over half of her thighs. She grumbled, "I'm so not happy about this. Alright, I'm done."

Shikamaru said, "You think we are? But it has to be done."

Ino sauntered off and Choji said, "How long do you think she will take?" Shikamaru said, "I don't know. We'll just have to wait and watch."

Ino reached the guards and they ogled at her as she walked up, waving her body in a sensuous manner. She said, "Hello, guys. Can you help me?" The guard nearest to her, coincidentally the one who was wearing the Stone headband, said, "Certainly, fine lady." He had a slight nosebleed as he saw her dress straining at the bust.

She frowned inwardly, but maintained her composure nevertheless. She said, "I'm looking for a Mr. Enzo. Does he live somewhere nearby?" The guard suddenly tensed and said, "What business do you have with Mr. Enzo?" Ino swayed her behind a little bit and said sensuously, "I'm sure you can tell." The guard's nose started bleeding a little again, and he said, "I'll need to know your name and address. For security reasons."

Ino said smoothly, "Sure, why not? My name is Inoue and I live in the southern part of Tanzaku Town. Mr. Enzo hired me for services tonight." The guard nodded appreciatively and another one whispered to him, "Mr. Enzo sure is gonna enjoy himself tonight." The Stone headband wearing guard said, "Alright Ms. Inoue. Follow me, and please do not stray from behind me. Mr. Enzo is very important and has many guards. If you step outside the path even a little, you may be dead before you know it. And I would hate for a fine thing such as you to get hurt."

Ino put on a frightened look and said, "I may die? Just what type of man is Mr. Enzo?" The guard replied, "He's a businessman. I don't know much about him but he has been very helpful to me, giving me this job after I quit the Stone village." Then the guard seemed to clam up and said, "Please do not repeat that anywhere. The Stone village is ruthless and would love to kill me, for abandoning them."

Ino touched his shoulder, sliding her finger across his arm, hating herself. She said, "Why did you leave? I promise I won't tell anyone." He said, "Well, I guess there's no harm in telling you." She smiled sweetly at him and he continued, "In all my life, I've always dreamed of being a shinobi who is feared across the Five Great Nations. But my own village shattered my dreams because of politics. They tried to press charges on me in order to lift the blame of a murder from the Tsuchikage. Needless to say, I was disgusted and left the village."

Ino was surprised; she had expected him to be a rogue ninja. She saw Shikamaru and Choji sliding in after them and knew she had to keep this up for a little while more. She said, "Then why don't you join another village? Perhaps some village which is more condescending to their ninjas?"

The guard snorted and said, "All these villages are the same. And anyway, even if I don't belong there anymore, I would never sell them out. I'm just not made that way." She nodded, knowing that she would never sell out her village either. Ino said, "Well, that's a good thing. I admire that." The guard smiled at that and then said, "Alright, we're here."

Ino realized that they had reached inside the house and she said, "Where do I go?" The guard said, "I'll escort you in. There are guards outside his room too." Shikamaru and Choji made it in just in time before the doors of the house closed. The guard said, "I'm Kentaro, by the way." Ino said, smiling falsely, "That's a cute name." He blushed and said, "Thanks. Let's go." They headed for the target's room and reached in front to see a couple of guards waiting. The guard outside said, "Halt. State your purpose."

Ino began to speak but Kentaro cut across her, "I'm escorting this woman for Mr. Enzo. He has hired her for tonight, Kiko." The woman named Kiko said, "This girl? Hmph." Ino pretended to get angry at that and said, "Hey, what is that supposed to mean?" Kiko simply ignored her and said, "Well, get it over with, Kentaro."

Kentaro stepped into the room, and said, "Mr. Enzo. Inoue is here to see you."

Inoue closed the door behind them and Kentaro turned behind at the sound. His eyes widened as the senbon in Ino's hand was thrust into his neck. She said sadly, "I'm so sorry."

Enzo got out of his bed and stared at Ino. Fear in his eyes, he asked, "Who are you?" She said, "You don't want to know, Mr. Enzo." Just then, the door opened, and Shikamaru and Choji came in. The two guards at the door lay unconscious. They stepped in and Enzo saw their headbands. He stammered, "Le…Leaf Ninjas?" Ino said, "Hold him still, Shikamaru. I want to get this over with as soon as possible."

Enzo tried to run but Shikamaru already had him stuck in his Shadow Possession. He said, "Do it." Ino said, "Mind Transfer Jutsu." As she went into his psyche, she started perusing all the information he had. Her eyes widened more and more as she read the information. She quickly finished reading and returned to her psyche. Even as she reached into her body, she said, "Finish it, Shikamaru."

He signed and intoned, "Ninja Arts: Shadow Stitching!" Enzo fell to the ground and the Choji and Shikamaru looked at Ino, who had a hard look on her face. She said, "Let's go."

Shikamaru asked, "What happened?" Ino shook her head and said, "I can't tell you, not yet. We need to get back as soon as possible." They were leaving the room when Ino said, "Wait. I'll change back so I can run faster." The two males turned again and Ino changed back into her uniform. She said, "Okay, time to go."

They exited the room through the window, and Ino started her Sensory Relay again. With her help, they were able to avoid conflict and made their way out of the perimeter easily. Shikamaru said, "Well, that went rather well for an A-Rank mission." Ino said, "Don't push your luck. We need to get back tonight."

Shikamaru said, "Aren't we forgetting something?" Ino said, "What? If it isn't something important, we have to leave right away." Shikamaru replied, "The Byakugan user." Both Ino and Choji froze and Ino said, "Right, I totally forgot about that. Let's take him out quickly." She enabled her Sensory Relay again and focused on the Byakugan user. She said, "Thank God he doesn't have the Byakugan enabled right now, or we would be totally screwed." Choji said, "What do we do?"

Shikamaru said, "It'll have to be quick, no matter what. I'm thinking formation 8." Ino nodded and Choji quickly expanded his hand, catching the Byakugan user and holding him tight. Shikamaru used the Shadow Possession to paralyze the guard, and Ino quickly Mind Transferred into him. She gasped and came back into her psyche, saying, "Kill him." This time, Shikamaru used the Shadow Strangulation Jutsu and killed the Byakugan user silently. He said, "Who was he, Ino?" She said, "I can't say that. At least until I tell the Hokage first. Shikamaru, store his body in that FuinJutsu scroll you always carry. Let's go, quickly." Choji ended his jutsu, his hand returning to normal size.

Shikamaru stared at her. He thought, 'What is this information that Ino found which is so important?' Choji was thinking the same thing. They headed back to the Leaf quickly and reached as the moon reached its zenith. Ino said, "I'll report to the Hokage, you guys can go. Shikamaru, hand me that scroll. Good job." The two men nodded and moved off, Choji saying, "Wonder what that's about." Shikamaru replied, "Don't worry about it. At least until she's ready to tell us."

Ino headed off to Ninja Ops and saw Tsunade standing on the roof. She shunshined up there and said, "Ino Yamanaka reporting, Milady." Tsunade didn't turn. She said, "I assume the mission was a success." Ino said, "Yes, Milady." Tsunade turned and said. "I want a Blood Oath from you never to talk of this with anyone else. The penalty will be death."

Ino gasped. Death was the most serious penalty for a Blood Oath. She sighed and took the Oath. Then she said, "I couldn't believe that this man worked for the Akatsuki. He looked like such a normal person, that I never would have felt he was so evil."

Tsunade sighed and said, "It seems that the Akatsuki are even more resourceful that I imagined. I had to make sure I got all the information out of Enzo. I had my suspicions but I never had proof. Until now, of course. Give me everything you know."

Ino told her everything she had learnt of, and Tsunade's eyes widened. She said, "That's… just horrible. To think that the Akatsuki would go to such extents…" Then the Hokage said, "Anyway, that's that dealt with. Ino, I want you to keep an eye out on Naruto now. He needs to be kept in control, what with the Akatsuki so hot on his heels now. You know Master Jiraiya, I presume?"

Ino nodded and said, "Every female in the village knows that pervert. What about him?" Tsunade smiled at the comment and said, "Jiraiya is planning to take Naruto to Mount Myoboku to train in Sage Arts." Ino said, "What? What are Sage Arts? And what is Mount Myoboku?"

Tsunade looked surprised; "Naruto never told you about his toads?" Ino shook her head and Tsunade elaborated, "Naruto has a Summoning Contract with the Toad Clan of Mount Myoboku." Ino understood and then she frowned. She said, "What about Sage Arts? What is that?"

Tsunade said, "You know about the two types of energy one possesses, right? Physical energy and spiritual energy? Well, Sage Arts are techniques which utilizes nature energy, which is found outside of our bodies. It is present in the natural world and is much stronger than our normal chakra."

Ino said, "That is something I didn't know about. So how do you use nature energy?" Tsunade said, "That is one of the toughest parts of training in Sage Arts. Very few people are ever able to master it, due to the person gathering nature energy requiring to be perfectly still at all times."

Ino froze. She said, "The person needs to be still at all times? Then how can anyone fight if they need to be still?" Tsunade nodded, knowing that the sharp girl would figure it out and said, "Well, there are three known places in the world where Sage Arts can be learnt. One of course, is Mount Myoboku. The second is Ryuuchi Caves, where the Snake Clan lives. And the third is the Shikkotsu Woods, where my grandfather, the First Hokage, learnt Sage Arts, and it is also the place where I got my summoning contract with Lady Katsuyu."

Ino said, "I didn't know that the First Hokage practised Sage Arts." Tsunade said, "It is said that only he could ever learn Sage Arts from the Shikkotsu Woods, because he was unique. He could use Wood Style jutsus, after all. I don't think anyone who does not possess Wood Style can learn Sage Arts from the Shikkotsu Woods." Ino said, "How about Mount Myoboku?"

Tsunade replied, "Mount Myoboku is the home of the Toad Clan. They are well known as one of the strongest clans in the world. The Toad Oil which they possess is known for having the ability, to make the person who uses it, sense nature energy. It is where Jiraiya learnt Sage Arts as well." Ino nodded and said, "So when is Naruto going?"

The Hokage said, "I assume that he will be leaving either tomorrow or the day after."

Ino blanched. She said, "What? And you're telling me this now?"

The Hokage said, "There are things more important in this world right now, Ino. Now, you can go. I have no doubt that you will want to make the fullest of whatever time you have left with him." She smirked and Ino blushed. Then Ino suddenly remembered and said, "Lady Tsunade, I almost forgot. We managed to take out that Byakugan user." Tsunade said, "Oh, that's a relief. What did you find out about him?" Ino handed the Hokage the FuinJutsu scroll and said, "I have his body stored in this. And I saw in his mind as well. It's…horrible. I wish I could just forget it, but I can't." Tsunade said, "Tell me, so you won't have to bear the burden on your own." Ino nodded and relayed all the information to Tsunade. The Hokage stared at Ino, stunned. She said, "Are you positive?" Ino nodded with a sad look and said, "I know it sounds horrible but it's true. I saw it all from his mind." Tsunade said, "How horrible for you. I hope no one else suffers the same fate as that poor Hyuga again."

Ino said, "I'm totally gonna have nightmares about this tonight. Speaking of which, I should leave now. I want to meet Naruto before he leaves." Tsunade nodded with a morose look and Ino vanished. Tsunade thought, 'I hope that you can forgive me for not telling you about Naruto earlier, Ino. But I must do what is best for the village.'

Naruto was sleeping, dreaming of turning into a toad, when he suddenly woke up with a jerk. He felt that he was being watched. His feeling turned right when he saw that Ino was just a couple of meters away from him, her hand outstretched to wake him up. She froze and he got up. He switched on his bedside lamp and looked at her face, astonished to find tear tracks on it.

Naruto asked her with concern, "What's wrong, Ino?"

She hugged him and his arms fell to his side, as she whispered in his ear, "You're going away for a month, aren't you?"

Naruto froze, and then looked at her as she broke off. He said blankly, "Who told you?" She replied, "Lady Tsunade." Naruto relaxed and said weakly, "Yeah, I have to go to Mount Myoboku for some training in something called Sage Arts." Ino said sadly, "I know, she told me what it is." She looked down sadly, and he said, "Hey, it's not like I can't come back, you know."

She looked up and he smiled, "Once I'm there, I can come back whenever I want. I just need to make sure that I'm not gone from there for too long." Ino smiled radiantly and said, "Then it's okay. Best of luck, and make sure that you learn Sage Arts as soon as possible!"

Naruto smiled and said, "I'll be back as soon as possible! Believe it!"

**Author's Note**: Hey, what's up, my fellow readers and writers, CannonBaller here with another chapter for you guys today. I thought it would be good to showcase Ino as a little more than Naruto's girlfriend, you know. Give her some more importance. That's the reason for this chapter, so I hope you guys enjoy it. Review on what you liked or didn't like, and I'll try to improve as much as I can. So, as usual, Happy Reading!


	27. Chapter 27: Mount Myoboku

Author's Note: Hey guys, CannonBaller here with another chapter for you guys. This is my longest one yet. Hope you guys enjoy, and Happy Reading!

**Chapter 27: Mount Myoboku**

Naruto woke up. He thought, 'There's something I'm missing.' Then he remembered and got out of bed. He went to the bathroom and brushed his teeth. As he came back out, Ino came out of the kitchen and said, "Good morning, sleepyhead." He replied sleepily, "Morning, Ino. What are you doing up so early?"

She said, "You're going to Mount Myoboku today, right? I thought of cooking some breakfast before you leave." Naruto scratched his cheek and said, "Now that I think about it, Pervy Sage never really told me whether we're going today or not." Ino looked at him in surprise and then said, "Well, then. I guess you should ask him." He nodded and then went for his shower. After he was done, he sat at the table and Ino came out of the kitchen, bringing a platter of bacon and eggs with her. She set it down in front of him and he tucked in. With his mouth full, he asked, "Are you not eating?"

She said, "It's too fattening for me. I'm going to have porridge, it's still cooking." Naruto and he said, "This is really delicious." She smiled and they continued to make small talk until the doorbell rang. Ino answered it and saw Jiraiya standing in the door. She said, "Master Jiraiya. Nice to meet you. Please come in."

The pervert said, "Good morning, Ino. I assume Naruto is in?" She nodded and he stepped in to see the house, and smiled. "You have a really beautiful house, Ino."

Ino smiled and then the old man noticed Naruto, who had just finished eating. He said, "Good morning, Naruto. I realized that I never came by to the training field yesterday, so I thought of coming by early today. We're leaving today afternoon."

Naruto said, "Alright, Pervy Sage. I'll get my stuff ready and meet you at the gates at around 2PM. Is that okay?" The pervert started to speak but Naruto said, "Hey, Pervy Sage? Can I ask you something?" Jiraiya nodded and Naruto continued, "If you can use Sage Arts, then you must be very strong. Why couldn't you ever defeat Orochimaru?"

The old man froze. He looked down at his feet and then said sadly, "I never mastered Sage Arts, Naruto. I am what the toads call an imperfect Sage. It is why I have toad-ish characteristics whenever I use nature energy. However, Orochimaru has also trained in Sage Arts in the Ryuuchi caves and attained perfect Sage abilities. But because of his need to change bodies, he can no longer use any techniques related to Sage Arts. However, even though he cannot use the techniques, he can sense nature energy just like I can. So Sage Arts do not work against him. I have tried many times to bring him down, but he always manages to slither away."

Naruto said, "So, that snake is a Sage too." Jiraiya nodded and Naruto said, "Then I guess Sasuke must know about this as well." Both Jiraiya and Ino stared at him. Ino said, "I don't think Sasuke would know about Sage Arts. Since both of you were gone for the same amount of time, and you didn't know about Sage Arts back then, I highly doubt that he would too."

Jiraiya said, "Don't think that way, Ino. Sasuke is a prodigy, and is much faster and stronger than most ninjas because of his Kekkei Genkai. Naruto is very strong now, but I don't think he can match Sasuke if the Uchiha knows Sage Arts."

Naruto said, "Well, then I guess I'll just have to hurry up and learn this nature stuff quickly." Jiraiya said, "Then I'll take my leave now. Meet me above Ninja Ops at 2PM. Don't go to the gates, we don't want anyone to know that you've gone."

Naruto said, "Why Ninja Ops?" He replied, "Tsunade wants to speak to you before we leave."

Naruto nodded and Jiraiya vanished. Ino said, "Well, I guess this is it then." He said, "Like I said, I can come back anytime." She said, "That's not going to stop me from missing you, is it?"

He hugged her and said, "I'm going to miss you too, Ino."

Then he said, "Can you help me with my packing?" She nodded and they headed of towards Naruto's bedroom.

The next couple of hours were devoted to packing Naruto's things. Ino said, "You better not take too much. You don't know how you will be staying there." Naruto grinned and said, "Don't worry. I'm going to seal all my things in scrolls." She nodded and said, "Maybe you can teach me about that sometime too." He nodded and then said, "Oh, I almost forgot! Remember at the Sound village when I told you I completed your jutsu?" Ino nodded, remembering. She said, "You said you would show me when you got back. But between the promotion and missions and other stuff, you never did show it to me."

Naruto said, "Hold my hand." She did, and they suddenly vanished, reappearing into the training field where Naruto had crafted Kitsune. Naruto went up to a rock nearby and said, "Watch."

He held his right hand out, with his fingers slightly apart from each other. Suddenly, a blue orb started to appear on his index finger. It was around one inch in circumference. He closed his eyes in concentration, and another orb formed on his middle finger. Meanwhile, the first orb had started spinning. Slowly, four spheres appeared on his fingers, and started spinning. Naruto's face scrunched up with a strained look, and the fifth orb appeared on top of his thumb. They all started spinning in sync with each other.

Ino gasped, "Naruto! How did you manage this?! I can barely make one Rasengan right now!" He quickly thrust his hand into the rock and a grinding noise emitted out of it. Then suddenly, the rock burst apart into small pieces. Naruto shielded his face with his hands to avoid getting hit by the pieces of the rock. He looked and Ino and said, "That takes a lot out of me right now. I've only just mastered it." Ino said with amazement on her face, "You yourself told me that the Rasengan is the highest change in chakra form! To actually make five of them in one hand, and that too with such tight chakra threads is incredible! Your chakra control is much better than mine!"

Naruto said modestly, "I don't think so, Ino. I just happen to have a lot of chakra." She said, "Having heaps of chakra doesn't mean a thing if you can't control it. You're definitely stronger than any other Chunin in the village." He smiled at that and said, "Did you hear the noise that came from the rock when I thrust the Rasengans into it? It was quite different from the normal Rasengan."

Ino probed her own thoughts and recollected the shattering of the rocks. She saw the way the rocks had blown apart and said, "I think that your Rasengans are causing that. You see, every one of your Rasengans are of a different chakra frequency, which means that they create a resonance within the rock when they strike it. That makes the rock explode from within, and it blasts outwards."

Naruto looked totally lost, and said, "Yeah, I thought it was something like that." Ino giggled and said, "Well, all you need to know is, that if you hit someone with that, their intestines will explode within their body and come outwards." He stared at her with his eyes wide and said, "I never thought it could be so powerful."

Ino said, "Well, it is the Fourth Hokage's jutsu." He nodded.

At 2PM, Naruto took all his scrolls and tucked them into his belt. He said, "Wanna see me off, Ino?" She nodded and said, "As if I would let you go without saying goodbye." The two of them reached Ninja Ops. They saw Tsunade and Jiraiya waiting for them on the roof. The couple shunshined up to the roof and Tsunade started without preamble, "Are you ready for this training, Naruto? I can't have you gone if you're gonna be distracted all the time." She looked at Ino and smirked, and the platinum blonde blushed. But she maintained her composure, and Naruto replied, "Well, you know that I'm always ready to get stronger, Grandma."

Tsunade's eye twitched and Jiraiya laughed. The old pervert said, "Alright then. Guess this is goodbye, Tsunade and Ino." They two women nodded and Jiraiya signed, "I, Inu, Tori, Saru, Hitsuji! Summoning Jutsu!" A cloud of smoke rose from where Jiraiya had slapped the summoning seal, and a toad came out from the smoke. The toad had purple hair and was wearing a cloak. Naruto said, "Who is that, Pervy Sage?"

The pervert replied, "This is Lady Shima, Lord Fukasaku's wife." He nodded and the toad said, "What is it, Jiraiya-boy?" Jiraiya said, "I need you to take us back to Mount Myoboku." She said, "Is that it? You could have called Fukasaku for that, couldn't you?"

The old man said, "You know as well as I do, that Lord Fukasaku cannot reverse summon more than one person at a time, while you can do at least five." The toad smiled and said, "You flatter me, Jiraiya-boy. Well, as I am here now, I'll do it anyway." Naruto came forward and stood next to Jiraiya. Just then, Ino and Tsunade came up and the Hokage said, "Now, Naruto I want you to be careful, alright? I can't have you getting into trouble now. Take care." The pervert smiled at that and Ino went up to Naruto and hugged him. She said, "Don't push yourself, ya know."

He smiled and said mischievously, "I think I'm rubbing off on you, Ino." She smiled and said, "You better believe it." She kissed him and then stood back as the two of them held onto the female toad. She signed and said, "Reverse Summoning!" The last thing Naruto saw was Ino waving him goodbye.

Naruto found himsef standing in a forest of some sort. What was weird for Naruto was that the forest seemed to be made simply of normal plants which were way too big than in the human world. He recognized some of the plants and said, "Hey Pervy Sage, how come these plants are so big in this place? They're as tall as Gamabunta!"

Jiraiya said, "This is Mount Myoboku. It is a sacred place, and everything here is just as big. Come on, let's meet the old one." Naruto looked at him in confusion, and he elaborated, "The old Sage toad. He is the Elder over here. We should pay our respects to him before starting your training."

Naruto and Jiraiya went to the old toad and gave their greetings to him. The old toad said, "Ah, nice of you to come by. Now…what was your name again?" Jiraiya's eye twitched and he said, "I thought you would remember at least that by now. How long have I been coming here from?" The toad said, "How should I know?"

Jiraiya said, "Ugh. I'm Jiraiya, old man. Honestly, I think your memory is getting worse and worse." The old toad's eyes opened a little and he noticed Naruto. He said, "Ah, Jiraiya. I see you've changed a lot. When did your hair become yellow?" Naruto said, "Oye, old toad, Pervy Sage is over there, I'm Naruto."

The toad focused his eyes where Naruto was pointing and saw Jiraiya. He nodded and said, "Oh, there you are, Jiraiya." Jiraiya said, "I've brought Naruto here to train in Sage Arts." The old toad smiled slowly and said, "Ah, like many others, one more tries his hardest to become a Sage. I wish you best of luck, Naruto. Do well. Now, where is Naruto?" Naruto grumbled, "I'm here, old toad." Then he asked Jiraiya quietly, "Are we done here, Pervy Sage? I want to start training." Jiraiya nodded and said, "Let's go. Lord Fukasaku, if you will lead the way." The Elder closed his eyes again, and Lord Fukasaku sighed. He said, "Old man's memory just keeps getting worse."

The three of them walked off and reached a waterfall of toad oil. Naruto's eyes widened in astonishment as he saw the place. He said, "It's so beautiful!" Jiraiya and Fukasaku smiled. The toad said, "This is the sacred waterfall of Mount Myoboku. This is where the training for sensing nature energy is done." Naruto said, "Alright! Let's get started!" Jiraiya said, "Not just yet, Naruto."

The blonde looked at him in confusion and said, "What is it, Pervy Sage?" The old man said, "There are a few things you should know before starting this training. First, you have to be completely still when you gather nature energy. The slightest movement and you will be back to base one. Also, you cannot gather too much nature energy, or you will start to turn to stone. Nature energy is very difficult to handle, and even the best of ninjas have lost their lives trying to master it. You see all the stone toad statues around this place?"

Naruto nodded and the pervert continued, "That is what happens if you start to gather too much nature energy." The blonde's eyes widened in shock and then he said, "This is awfully tough, old man. Mind telling me why you didn't inform me of this earlier?" Jiraiya replied, "Because I believe that you are the only one who can surpass me in Sage Mode."

Naruto blinked, "Sage Mode?" Jiraiya said, "It's my way of calling a person who is using nature energy." The blonde said, "It does have a nice ring to it. Alright, I'm ready to start training in Sage Mode."

Fukasaku said, "Take off your clothes, then." Naruto blanched and said, "What? Why?" Fukasaku said, "In order for you to use the toad oil which will help you, you will need to remove your clothes." Naruto grumbled but took off his uniform. He stood in his underpants and said, "Alright, what's next?"

Jiraiya said, "Sit in the spot over there, in the middle of the waterfall." The knucklehead sat in the spot and Fukasaku leapt over to him. The old toad gathered two drops of oil and spread them onto Naruto's left and right forearms. He said, "Now, you must close your eyes and sit extremely still. As you do, you will start to notice the energy flowing around you in the world. When you do, you must inform me." Naruto nodded and closed his eyes.

Jiraiya said to Fukasaku, "Well, what do we do now?" The old toad said, "How about you leave this to me? You should be doing your own work now, shouldn't you?" The pervert replied, "I don't know, I want to see Naruto in Sage Mode, after all."

The old toad said, "Won't that take some time? I'll reverse summon you when he does." Jiraiya nodded and said, "Well, I'll need to be sent back then." Fukasaku intoned, "Reverse Summoning Jutsu." and Jiraiya disappeared. Naruto opened his eyes and said, "Where's Pervy Sage?" Fukasaku said, "He's gone for his own business. Now, why did you open your eyes? I thought I told you to remain perfectly still." Naruto said, "I couldn't help it. You guys were talking and it was distracting."

Fukasaku said, "Very well. Continue now, and I shall supervise." Naruto sat there for a few hours before he suddenly sensed another type of energy around him, different from his regular chakra, all around him. He opened his eyes and said, "Hey old toad, I sensed something different from my regular chakra in the air around me. Is that nature energy?"

The old toad looked astonished, and said, "How did you do it so fast? It took me an entire day to do it!" Naruto shrugged and the toad thought, 'This is rather intriguing. I didn't expect that the boy would become one with nature so fast. He may just become a perfect Sage.'

Then Fukasaku started training him in gathering the nature energy. Naruto said, "How about I create a few clones to help me?" Fukasaku said, "Alright, but no more than four clones. I won't be able to handle any more, because I will have to beat the nature energy out of you if you gather too much." He showed Naruto his stick and the blonde blanched. Then he focused his energy and said, "Shadow Clone Jutsu."

A few minutes later, only one Naruto remained, howling in pain as Fukasaku beat him hard on the back. He said, "Man, this is way too tough. How do you gather less nature energy?" Fukasaku said, "There is no shortcut to this training. You are already progressing much faster than I thought. If you could somehow make your clones a little stronger, this would go much better. Your Shadow Clones can't last after taking a single one of my hits, and you can't continuously create more, it'll just tire you out."

Naruto nodded and grinned, saying, "Then I'll just make better clones." He went over to his uniform and took out a kunai from it. Then he punctured his own forearm, letting the blood gush out. Once there was enough, he stopped holding back the fox's regenerative powers and intoned, "Hidden Art: Blood Clone Jutsu!" Four clones of Naruto emerged from the pool of blood which had been created on the ground. They looked at Fukasaku and said as one, "Alright, let's go!"

Fukasaku said, "Alright, that's enough for now." Naruto complained, "No way! I'm not tired yet!" The old toad wheezed and said, "But I am." Naruto nodded and suddenly his stomach grumbled. He said, "Man, I'm hungry now. Gathering this nature energy is a tough task."

The two of them went towards the old toad's home and Lady Shima greeted them. She said, "Come on in, I've prepared a wonderful meal for the two of you!" Naruto clapped his hands and said, "Alright, let's eat!"

They went in and Naruto froze as he saw the different bugs and insects on the table, while Fukasaku said in delight, "This is such a feast! When did you bring all of this?" Lady Shima said, "I went out today while you were busy training Naruto."

Naruto said, "I can't eat this, you two. I can't eat insects." Fukasaku said, "Nonsense. This tastes just like pork." The two toads sat at the table and Lady Shima looked at Naruto, who blanched a bit and said, "Can you excuse me?" He went outside, placed his hand on the wall of the house for support and vomited. He then went back in. He said, "I am sorry, but I can't eat this. It is not edible for humans. You guys enjoy the food, I need to get something suited to me."

Fukasaku said, "Naruto-boy, Mount Myoboku is more than a thousand miles away from human civilization. How are you going to get anything to eat?" Naruto grinned and said, "Don't worry about that, old man, I got a secret."

Naruto headed towards Ichiraku's, humming quietly. He popped in and said, "Hey old man, one extra-large ramen please!" Teuchi smiled and said, "Hey Naruto. I heard you'd gone off training. How come you're back so soon?" Naruto grinned and said, "I'll tell you someday." Then he sat down to eat. As he was finishing his first bowl, a head popped in and Naruto looked at it to see Iruka looking back at him.

Naruto said, "Hey Iruka sensei, long time no see."

Iruka replied, "Hi, Naruto. Weren't you off training at Mount Myoboku?" Naruto said, "How does everyone seem to know that?" Iruka said, "I met Ino today, she told me." The blonde nodded and said, "I came back for some dinner, since the toads there eat only bugs and insects." Iruka and Naruto ate together, and then walked together towards Iruka's house. Naruto said, "Hey sensei? Can I ask you something?" The teacher nodded and Naruto continued, "During the Sound liberation, I noticed you with Yugao-san and that crazy snake woman, Anko, who threatened me during my first Chunin exams. How do you know them?"

Iruka smiled and said, "That's a long story, Naruto." They reached Iruka's house and he said, "I'll tell it to you when you get back from your training, alright?" Naruto nodded and said, "So long, sensei." He vanished and Iruka sighed. The door opened and a hand pulled Iruka inside.

Naruto walked up to the old toad one afternoon. Fukasaku said, "Where were you, Naruto?" The boy replied, "Just looking around this place, you know, familiarizing myself with it." Lord Fukasaku nodded and said, "Shall we resume our training, now that I've had my afternoon nap?" Naruto nodded and they headed towards the fountain again. Fukasaku said, "You're very close to the end of the first phase of your training, Naruto-boy. Soon, you shall progress to sensing and gathering nature energy without any oil." Naruto said, "Why's that?"

Fukasaku said, "What do you mean?" Naruto elaborated, "Why do I have to do it without the oil?" The old toad said, "Because you cannot have the oil with you when you leave this place."

Naruto asked, "Why?" The old toad said, "This atmosphere is the only place where our oil can be used. In normal atmospheres, it will evaporate almost instantly. That is why you cannot use it in normal fights. This oil is used only as a beginner's method in order to make people sense nature energy quickly." Naruto nodded and said, "I see. That's why I gotta learn to sense it without using the oil, right?" Fukasaku nodded and said, "But it is extremely tough to do that, which is why I had you train with the oil first."

Naruto sat down again, and started focusing. Fukasaku splashed some oil on his back, and Naruto's eyes started to change. The color around them became orange. He opened his eyes and Fukasaku noticed that each eye had a flat blue retina. He said, "I think I've got the hold of this, old man."

Lord Fukasaku smiled and said, "Indeed you have, Naruto-boy. Now, we shall proceed to our next stage." They headed towards the mountains which Naruto had noticed on his first day. He said, "Those mountains are awfully sharp at the top."

Fukasaku said, "They are specially made to punish those who do not concentrate properly. Take one of those tiles which are lying at the base of the mountains and go up." Naruto took one of the tiles and was surprised at its heft. He saw Fukasaku picking one up without any effort and immediately felt a rise in respect for the old toad. They climbed up the mountain and Fukasaku balanced their tiles onto the mountain edges. He said, "Naruto-boy, I won't be able to let you use clones at this stage, even though you do not need them anymore. I must warn you that if your concentration lacks even a little, you will fall off, and that will hurt. Make sure you do not gather too much nature energy, for I will not be able to beat it out of you this time."

Naruto nodded firmly and sat on the tile. A second later he was hanging off the side of the mountain, Fukasaku's tongue around his waist. He said, "Man, that's damn tough. How are you able to sit on your tile so easily, geezer toad?" Fukasaku lowered him to the ground and Naruto picked up another tile before coming up. He balanced the tile and sat on it. Fukasaku said, "I have had years of experience at sitting still. It is second nature for me to concentrate on sensing natural energy now." Naruto nodded and his tile wobbled dangerously. He immediately sat still.

Fukasaku said, "I think it is best if you don't focus on gathering nature energy before you learn to sit still on top of this mountain, Naruto - boy. You see, unless you learn to find your center of balance, and sit still no matter what the condition, you will not be able to gather nature energy efficiently." Naruto said, "Well then, I guess I'll just have to do my best."

Throughout the days, Naruto learned to focus on sitting still, no small feat for him, seeing as he was the most hyperactive ninja in the Leaf. A few days later, he opened his eyes and said, "I think I'm ready, geezer toad." Fukasaku nodded and said, "I see you have mastered the ability to be perfectly still. Now, sit still and sense the nature energy around you. It should be easier for you to gather it, because you already have done it. However, without the oil, you will find it harder to sense it, so you will have to concentrate harder. Once you've sensed it, it is easy to gather it. I will be watching and if you gather too much, I will have no choice but to make you fall off the mountain."

Naruto blanched and then sat still as his tile started to move again. He slowly brought his hands out in front of him and closed his eyes, meditating. A few minutes later, his eyelids started turning orange. Fukasaku stared in astonishment as Naruto opened his eyes. He thought, 'This boy is really amazing. He was able to gather the nature energy so quickly even without the oil!' Naruto said, "I feel…different. I feel light…and strong."

The toad said, "That's the effect of the nature energy." Naruto nodded and went back to meditating. A couple of birds gathered around and sat on his shoulders. Around ten minutes later, he opened his eyes. Fukasaku thought, 'Amazing. Naruto – boy has certainly managed to gather a lot of nature energy, more than when he was using the oil. He also has the marks around his eyes, signifying that he is ready to use nature energy. And no froglike characteristics either. Naruto, you just might surpass Jiraiya and become a perfect Sage.' Naruto said, "That's as far as I can go, without overflowing on nature energy." Fukasaku said, "Come then, I shall teach you Frog Kumite now."

Fukasaku and Naruto both panted as they stared at each other. Naruto thought, 'This old toad sure is tough.' Similarly, Fukasaku thought, 'Naruto-boy sure learns fast.' He noticed Naruto's eyes which were completely normal now, except for the toad like dash in his yellow retinas, and the orange color on his eyelids. He thought, 'There's no doubt about it. Naruto has attained perfect Sage Mode.'

The old toad said, "Naruto-boy, just a moment." Naruto, who was starting to get ready to attack again, stopped and Fukasaku signed, intoning, "Reverse Summoning Jutsu!" Suddenly, a cloud of smoke appeared and Jiraiya stepped through, in nothing but a bathrobe. He blanched and said, "What the hell, old man? You can't just summon me whenever you like! I was just going to enter a hot spring with some really lovely ladies!"

Fukasaku grinned and said, "Sorry, Jiraiya-boy, but didn't you yourself tell me to summon you when Naruto attained Sage Mode?" Jiraiya froze and said, "You mean he's already done it? But it's been only two weeks since…"

Then the pervert noticed Naruto who was just standing there waiting for the two old guys to finish talking. He saw Naruto's eyes and was stunned. Naruto smiled at him and he said, "Congratulations, Naruto. I see you've finally surpassed even me." Naruto smirked and said, "Wanna go at it, Pervy Sage?" Jiraiya laughed nervously and said, "Maybe some other time. Now, make sure you finish training fast, because Tsunade wants to talk to you soon." Naruto said, "What do you mean, Pervy Sage?" He replied, "She'll tell you when you meet her. Now take me back, Fukasaku." The old toad released him and the pervert disappeared.

Naruto said, "Shall we continue?" Lord Fukasaku said, "Yes, lets." They continued training for a week until Fukasaku said, "Alright, Naruto. I guess this is as far as I can take you. It's been a pleasure teaching you, and you are unusually talented. Now, all that remains is for you to infuse your nature energy with your normal chakra, and you'll be able to unleash some really powerful attacks." Naruto nodded and then Fukasaku said, "Then I guess it is time for me to fuse with you."

Naruto blanched as he thought about that and said, "No way! What do you mean, fuse with me?" Fukasaku said, "I don't mean completely fuse, boy! I mean like the time Jiraiya-boy and I showed you Sage Arts for the first time, where I was sitting on his shoulder." Naruto remembered and relaxed, saying, "Alright then. But why?" Fukasaku said, "Do you honestly think that you will be able to gather nature energy in the middle of a battle, without remaining still and letting your opponent kill you?" Naruto stared at him thoughtfully and then said, "So, what do I do?"

Fukasaku face palmed and said, "That's what I am for, knucklehead. Since I will be fused to your shoulder, any nature energy I gather will be transferred into your body and allow you to use it as you wish. That will bypass the requirement of you staying still, and allow you to utilize the nature energy much faster than normal."

Naruto nodded and said, "Then let's do it." Fukasaku hopped onto Naruto's right shoulder and sat there, focusing his chakra. Suddenly he fell off of Naruto's shoulder and went flying. Naruto said, "What's the matter, geezer toad?" Fukasaku said, "I don't know, Naruto. Let's try again."

He hopped back and sat on Naruto's left shoulder this time, but suddenly felt a surge of evil intent rise from inside Naruto's body and was propelled into the air again. He said, "I don't think we can fuse, Naruto-boy."

Naruto was stunned. He said, "What? Why are you saying that, geezer toad?" Fukasaku said, "The nine tailed fox inside of you is rejecting my attempt to fuse with you." Naruto blanched. He said, "Does that mean I won't be able to use nature energy in a fight?" Fukasaku nodded sadly and and Naruto punched a nearby tree in anger, shredding it into pieces. He said, "All this training, all this time, wasted! And all because of this stupid **FOX**!"

Fukasaku said, "I wish it were otherwise, but I guess you won't be able to enter Sage Mode in a battle now, Naruto." Naruto suddenly looked at him with a frenzied look and said, "No. I will find a way to gather nature energy while on the move. I'll have to. I can't have wasted all this time for nothing."

Fukasaku shook his head disappointedly, and said, "I'm afraid that won't work. Nature energy is very difficult to handle, as I'm sure you're aware of by now. Even gathering it while sitting still is extremely difficult. To gather it while on the move is quite impossible."

Naruto began running around the place, trying to gather nature energy until he ran out of gas. He fell onto the ground, nearly in tears. He said, "Why? Why does it always happen to me?" Fukasaku hopped next to him and said, "I am so sorry, Naruto-boy. If only I had known that the Kyuubi wouldn't allow me to fuse with you, we could have avoided all of this. There have been people before who I've not been able to fuse with. All of them had some kind of unique ability, which is why I couldn't do it. And there have been others who have tried the same thing that you just did, trying to gather nature chakra while on the move. But it's like looking at the left and the right at the same time."

Naruto let the words flow through his head. Then he suddenly sat up. 'Looking at the left and the right at the same time.' The words kept repeating themselves in his head, until…

"I"VE GOT IT!"

Fukasaku nearly fell on his butt in fright. Naruto had jumped into the air and suddenly intoned, "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Five clones split off and sat on the floor immediately. They began to meditate and Fukasaku looked at the original in confusion. He saw Naruto smiling at the clones, and thought, 'What's with the smile on his face? Did he figure out something I didn't?'

He looked at the clones and saw their eyes turn orange. A figurative light bulb suddenly flicked on in his head and he said, "Are you doing what I think you are, Naruto?" Naruto smiled and said, "That's right, geezer toad. You know, when I was training with Pervy Sage, he told me that Shadow Clones are used for more than fighting. This jutsu is an A-Ranked jutsu for a reason. It is used for espionage and infiltration. And any information that a Shadow Clone finds is transferred back to the original when the clone is dispelled. So why can't nature energy find its way into my body the same way?"

Fukasaku nodded and said, "Ingenious. I see that you have really mastered the Shadow Clone Jutsu very well, Naruto-boy. Let's see what happens now." One of the Shadow Clones looked up at Naruto and he nodded. The Shadow Clone dispelled itself and Naruto closed his eyes. He suddenly opened his eyes and Fukasaku saw that he had gone into Sage Mode. He applauded Naruto and said, "I see that your clones have excellent concentration as well." Naruto nodded and said, "Whenever I create clones, they are created with all the abilities that I possess at that time. So, because of my training, my clones are stronger too."

The old toad said, "Well, then. Let us engage in Frog Kumite for a while, until the nature energy inside you runs out." Naruto nodded and they engaged in combat for a few minutes. Suddenly Naruto took a blow from Fukasaku and went flying back, much harder than he should have. He jumped back up and Fukasaku said, "You're back to normal." Naruto looked at him in confusion and said, "That's weird. I don't feel any different." The toad nodded and said, "That's because the nature energy from your clones passes from a different body before it returns to you, therefore it is filtered through that body and is not as long lasting or as strong. Not all the chakra is returned when a clone is dispelled. Some of it is always wasted. Your Sage Mode lasted only for six minutes. Whereas when you yourself attained Sage Mode, you could last for over fifteen minutes."

Naruto frowned and thought, "That is a problem. I can't see how I can extend my time in Sage Mode without creating more clones. But too many clones could be a problem, since I might overflow on nature energy, and turn into a toad." Then he suddenly thought, "Oh yeah! There's one more thing I can do!"

Fukasaku said, "What is that?" Naruto went up to the clones and said, "Hey guys, sorry but I need you to let go of all the nature energy right now. I need to dispel you and too much nature chakra will turn me to stone." The clones said as one, "Sorry, boss. We cannot let go of nature energy. You never learnt how to do that, ya know. We'll just have to beat it out of each other." Naruto nodded and the remaining clones brawled until only one remained. Naruto's eyes were wide and he thought, 'My clones were so strong in Sage Mode! I can really make use of that!' Fukasaku beat the last clone with his stick and got all the nature chakra out of him. The clone thanked him and dispelled.

The toad said, "Now, what was it that you were thinking of, Naruto-boy?"

Naruto replied, "The same way in which I learnt to gather nature energy in the first place." He cut his hand open and let the blood flow. Then he said, "Hidden Arts: Blood Clone Jutsu!"

Three Blood Clones emerged from the puddle of blood gathered around Naruto and sat down to meditate. Fukasaku was confused and said, "How are these clones different from your Shadow Clones, Naruto-boy? Apart from being stronger?" Naruto countered, "Pervy Sage once taught me that Shadow clones are fragile for a reason, and that was because they are made entirely out of chakra. Most clones used by other people are water clones and earth clones, and those are much stronger than shadow clones. So, the Pervy Sage had me create clones with my own blood. This is very effective for me because I regenerate extremely fast. Therefore, I am best suited for this jutsu. Also, because the clones are constructed of my own life force, I get all the energy back from them, through the medium of blood, rather than most of the energy being dispersed."

Fukasaku said, "I see. That is clever indeed." Naruto nodded. Just then, one of the clones looked up and Naruto saw his eyelids turn orange. He dispelled the clone and suddenly looked at Fukasaku with the same eyes. They engaged in combat again and Fukasaku noted that Naruto lasted in Sage Mode for around twenty minutes. He said, "Well done, Naruto. I guess your training has come to an end. You will do well in battle using Sage Mode."

Naruto smiled and said, "Thanks a lot for teaching me, geezer toad! I really appreciate it. Now, before I go, I want to show you something." Fukasaku said, "What is it?" Naruto said, "Follow me." He looked at the clones and said, "Guys, you better go to the toad fountain and sit there. It will be easier for you. I'll need some nature energy in around ten minutes. One of you dispel at that time." The clones nodded and got up, heading to the oil fountain. Naruto led Fukasaku to a mountain, and the toad gasped, seeing all the furrows and holes in it. He said, "So, this is what you were doing when you were gone all the time, Naruto-boy?"

Naruto nodded. Just then, one of his clones dispelled and his eyelids turned orange again. He focused and a Shadow Clone appeared next to him. The original held out his right hand and formed a Rasengan. The clone started adding wind chakra to it until the orb had flattened out into a silver disc. It started to create a whining sound and Naruto's clone vanished. Naruto suddenly put his right shoulder back and then hurled the giant shuriken shaped orb straight into the mountain, saying, "SAGE ARTS: WIND STYLE RASENSHURIKEN!"

The shuriken shaped orb flew straight into the mountain and hit it, creating a giant hole in it. Fukasaku gasped and thought, 'He threw it! When did he learn to hurl chakra of such high density at such speeds?' He waited until the jutsu had died down and was amazed. He could see through the entire mountain! 'Amazing!'

He said, "You've really become very strong, Naruto. You will make an amazing shinobi." Naruto grinned and they returned to the oil fountain. Naruto gave his remaining clone orders regarding when he would need to dispel and then they returned to Fukasaku's house. Naruto's eyes went wide as he saw his spare orange uniforms slowly burning away, while a variety of beetles and bugs were roasting over it. He cried out, "My uniforms! What have you done, Lady Shima?!" The purple haired toad said, "I burnt them, as I most rightfully should have. That dreadful color cause my eyes to burn. I've stitched some new clothes for you. There they are."

Naruto fell to his knees, crying with exaggerated tears. "My wonderful uniform! How could you?" He stopped crying immediately as Lady Shima bonked him on the head with Fukasaku's stick and said, "Stop that stupid whining. Change into this one here, or I'll burn the one you're wearing as well." He blanched and said, "Okay, okay! I'll change it. But don't you dare touch this uniform!"

She said, "Alright, I won't touch it."

He changed into the uniform which she had made for him. It consisted of a jumpsuit very much like his, but completely in black. Over it was a red coat, which resembled the color of Jiraiya's jacket. Black flames licked the lower part of his coat. His uniform had black fingerless gloves, with metal pads on them. The Konoha leaf was inscribed on both of them. The kanji for oil was inscribed on his coat on the back in black. As soon as he was changed into the new uniform, Lady Shima jumped into the air, signing, "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" She immediately spat a small ball of flames at Naruto's orange uniform, destroying it instantly. He howled in shock and then said, "You said you wouldn't do anything to it!"

She shook her head and said, "I agreed not to **touch **it." He stared daggers at her and Fukasaku sighed. He said, "I guess it's time to head back, Naruto-boy." Naruto looked at him and said sadly, "I guess it is." The two of them stood side by side and Lady Shima signed, "Ninja Arts: Reverse Summoning!" The three of them immediately were on top of Ninja Ops. Lady Shima bid Naruto goodbye, warning him never to wear an orange uniform again. Then Fukasaku and Naruto went down and reached the Hokage's office. Naruto knocked and Tsunade's voice said, "Come in."


	28. Chapter 28: Pein

**Author's Note: **Hey what's up guys, CannonBaller here with another chapter for all you wonderful readers out there. A couple people asked me why Pein wasn't in the story yet, so I went ahead and drew up this intro for him. Hope you guys enjoy it, and Happy Reading!

**Chapter 28: Pein**

"The extraction of the Two Tails is complete."

A voice sounded through the cave. Yugito Nii's body fell to the ground with a muffled thump and all the Akatsuki members straightened up, stretching their backs, and groaning in various voices. Deidara said grumpily, "We really need to find some new members to fill up Sasori, Hidan and Kakuzu's positions. Extracting the tailed beasts is too tough for just the six of us."

Kisame nodded and said, "What about upgrading some of our members to ring status, Pein? Or at least your Acolytes?"

A man with purple eyes, with concentric rings around them looked at him. He shook his head and his holographic projection replied, "I cannot do that. To be able to extract the tailed beasts, it not only requires extreme focus, but also a large amount of chakra. And fine chakra control as well. None of our lower ranked members are able to do that as of now. And my Acolytes are not meant for use in this manner. They are my bodyguards, and specially focus on assassinations."

Kisame opened his mouth to retort, but Itachi cut across him smoothly, "However, the time to increase our strength is of essence. Between Sasori, Hidan and Kakuzu all dead, I would conclude that we are at our worst strength ever." Pein nodded and said, "Well deduced, Itachi. But of course, you were always the most intelligent of all of us. However, we need not worry. Once we have captured the Four Tails, I myself will find some new talent for us. Meanwhile, I have someone to introduce you to."

Everyone looked at him in apparent surprise or interest, and a new projection suddenly started appearing on top of one of the fingers of the Gedo Mazo. Everyone looked at the new appearance, and as the projection cleared, they all observed the new member carefully.

The newcomer wore an orange mask, and the standard Akatsuki robes. The person had short cropped hair, black in color. The mask had only one hole in it. A spiral design covered the mask, which looked as though it had belonged to an ANBU before it had been painted. The new arrival looked around and announced flippantly, "Hello, everyone!"

Everyone stared at him. Deidara said, annoyed, "Who is this joker?" The new guy announced, "My name is Tobi. I am the newest member of the Akatsuki! Woohoo!" Deidara stared at him as though Tobi was mad, and Pein said, "Tobi is Sasori's replacement, Deidara. He will be partnered with you."

Deidara's mouth fell open as Kisame sniggered. The clay artist said, "You've gotta be kidding me! I just met him a couple of seconds ago and I already want to kill him!" Pein smiled slightly and said, "That is why I assigned him to you. He doesn't die easily."

Deidara turned to look at Tobi with slightly more respect, and a little suspicion, and then asked Pein, "So, what's the plan of action, then?"

Pein replied, "I wish for the Three and Four Tails to be captured next. The Four Tails should not be a problem, considering we know where he is situated. However, he does have partial control over his Bijuu, so he might be tough to capture. But the real problem is the Three Tails. We have no location of the monster, nor does it have a Jinchuuriki. I will need to investigate further before we are able to capture it. I want Tobi and you to be on the lookout for the Three Tails. Itachi and Kisame, you will bring me the Four Tails."

The duo nodded, and their projections vanished. Deidara said, "So, where are you right now, Tobi?" Tobi said, "Tell me where you are. I can reach to you instantly." Deidara stared at him again. He thought, 'There must be more to this Tobi guy than I thought. I guess I should play along until I find out his true powers.' He finally replied, "I'm at the border of the Hidden Stone village, outside our hideout there."

Tobi nodded and said, "I'll be there in a few minutes." His projection disappeared as well. Pein said, "I know that he is a little immature, Deidara. However, he is an extremely capable ninja, and is of use to us. I would put his strength higher than Kakuzu and Hidan combined."

Deidara and the rest of the members stared at Pein, who said, "I must go now. I have important matters to attend to. You have your orders, everyone. Zetsu, come to my hideout. I wish to discuss something with you." Zetsu nodded, and disappeared. Konan also disappeared, and Deidara took a second to look around, before disappearing.

As Deidara came back to his own body, he opened his eyes to find Tobi standing right in front of him, almost nose to nose with him. He yelled in surprise and punched Tobi straight in the face.

"OWWW! What did you do that for?"

Deidara roared, "WHY WERE YOU STANDING IN MY FACE, THEN?"

Tobi rubbed his mask, pretending as though he were hurt, and said, "Geez, you're really mean, aren't you? I don't know how your previous partner put up with you." A vein twitched in Deidara's forehead and he said, "You better stop talking, or I'm gonna have to kill you."

Tobi laughed flippantly, and that was all that needed to set Deidara off. He threw a kunai at Tobi, who didn't even move. At the last moment, the kunai flew straight through Tobi's chest and hit the stone boulder behind him. Deidara stared in astonishment. Then he said, "That's why Pein said you couldn't die easily, huh?" Tobi nodded dryly and said, "Then we should get going, huh, Deidara?"

The artist retorted, "You're a hundred years too young to be giving me orders." Then he said, "We'll need to ask around for information regarding the Three Tails. Pein has his sources already. We will need to work with them in order to find the Three Tails." Tobi nodded enthusiastically and said, "Alright! Let's go!"

Itachi and Kisame walked towards the Hidden Stone village. Itachi said, "Now, how should we go about this, Kisame?" Kisame grinned and said, "Why are you asking me? I always follow you, after all." Itachi replied, "You know that I am getting weaker. I need to stop using my eyes so much. To be honest, I shouldn't have tested Sasuke as much as I did. It cost me far too much. I think you should take the Four Tails."

Kisame said, "You know, I've heard stories about this Four Tails Jinchuuriki. His name is Roshi, and he's said to use Lava Style. That is going to be tough to beat. And I heard that he left the Stone Village so that he could learn how to control the beast."

Itachi nodded grimly and said, "I will no doubt step in, if you need help. However, I think that your pride will not allow it, anyway. You'll just need to win somehow or the other. I guess Samehada will be of utmost use to you now." Kisame grinned and said, "Of course. My Samehada loves strong chakra. The Four Tails' chakra will be like a dessert for it." Itachi said, "Let's move quickly. The sooner we get this done, the sooner I can reach back." Kisame said, "Any problem?"

Itachi said, "You know what I mean." Kisame understood and nodded. The two of them increased their pace.

Pein sat in his chair and the glow of his eyes died down. He fell asleep and sat still in his chair. Konan walked up to him and placed his arms comfortably so that he wouldn't fall. Then she walked up to the wall and pressed a button. The wall opened up and she went in. The wall closed behind her. Nagato looked at her and she said softly, "You've grown so weak, Nagato."

He smiled weakly at her and said, "This is just temporary. After we have accomplished our goal, I will be able to heal properly." She said sadly, "Why do you have to push yourself so much? Surely you can go ahead with your plan without using more than two of your bodies?"

Nagato coughed and shook his head. He said, "You know that I need to keep Yahiko's body as Pein. My Human and Naraka Paths are busy infiltrating the Hidden villages. I cannot afford to lose the Human Path right now, so the Naraka Path has to be with him to restore him."

Konan said, "Why didn't you send Zetsu to protect him?" Nagato coughed again, this time more violently. He said, "You know as well as I do, that Zetsu is not a fighter. He is of more use to us for information gathering. However, he cannot mingle with the crowds of a village like my Human Path can." She said with disappointment, "I had hoped that we would have at least some time together after capturing the Two Tails."

He reached over and squeezed her hand. She shuddered at how cold his hands were, but smiled at his determination. He said, "A few more months. That's all it will take and then we shall have no more interference."

Just then, Zetsu showed up in front of Pein's body. He said, "You called me?" Nagato focused his chakra, and Pein woke up. He said, "I wish for you to find Sasuke Uchiha." Zetsu looked at Pein in surprise and then nodded, saying, "May I know the reason?"

Pein said, "Sasuke's mind is still fragile. He still wants revenge against Itachi. However, the boy is a prodigy. It would be a waste if he died before we could use him in some way or the other." Zetsu nodded and said, "Is there anything else?"

Pein said, "No. You may go now. Contact Itachi before you leave, find out if he knows anything about Sasuke's current whereabouts." Zetsu nodded and left.

Nagato eased back again and said, "That was close." Konan nodded and suddenly, the air in front of them was sucked in, and Tobi appeared in front of them. Konan was startled, but Nagato didn't betray any emotions. Tobi said, "The other members are suspicious, Nagato. We must allay their suspicions quickly, or my disguise will be rendered useless."

Nagato and Konan bowed, saying, "Of course, Madara-sama."

Tsunade smiled and said, "Ah, Naruto and Lord Fukasaku. I see you've finished your training, Naruto. And how are you, Lord Fukasaku?" Fukasaku smiled and said, "I am well, Princess Tsunade. Although old age has finally started to catch up with me." Tsunade nodded and said, "I presume the training was a success?"

Fukasaku frowned and said, "Well, it depends on what you define success. Naruto certainly managed to enter Sage Mode. In fact, he's even surpassed Jiraiya. But…" Tsunade frowned at his tone and asked, "But what?"

Fukasaku said, "Naruto cannot fuse with me, because of his…furry little problem." The Nine Tails growled, and Naruto smirked. He said, "However, I've found a solution to that. In fact, I won't even need to summon Lord Fukasaku to fuse with me for entering Sage Mode." Tsunade leaned forward in interest and said, "Explain."

After they were done talking, Fukasaku said, "Well, I guess it's time for me to be leaving. Good luck, Naruto-boy." Tsunade and Naruto wished him farewell, and the old toad vanished. Tsunade suddenly said, "Naruto, I wanted to tell you something." Naruto looked at her in mild confusion and then said, "Oh, yeah. Pervy Sage had told me that you wanted to talk to me. What is it?"

Tsunade said, "According to my sources, and Jiraiya himself, Sasuke tried to kill Itachi Uchiha in an old Uchiha stronghold at the border of the Land of Fire. My sources reported that he nearly died, and that Itachi was able to escape, although he was hurt as well. He was being supported by Kisame Hoshigaki." Naruto clenched his fists in anger. He said, "I've had just about enough of this, Grandma Tsunade! I want to go and bring Sasuke back right now!"

Tsunade said, "Unfortunately, we cannot do that. Not only did Sasuke nearly die, he vanished from the scene a few hours later, obliterating his trail by blowing up the entire fort. We have no location of his whereabouts anymore."

Naruto thought in anger, 'If only Itachi would hurry up and die, I could bring Sasuke back.' He said, "Grandma, I want permission to hunt down Itachi Uchiha." Tsunade stared at him in confusion and then said, "No way. Itachi is the main reason I had you go away from the Leaf Village. I can't let you anywhere near him. Now, I want you to do something for me. Will you?"

Naruto said, "But I'm much stronger than Itachi by this point, Grandma. You know that as well as I do." Tsunade started getting annoyed and said, "You will never be stronger than Itachi. He possesses the Sharingan, which is the sole reason that he was able to help the Akatsuki out so much, in information gathering and in capturing the Tailed Beasts as well. You are no match for the Sharingan and I don't think you ever will be. Now shut up and listen to me."

Naruto grumbled but stayed quiet. Tsunade continued, "This absence of yours for three weeks did not go unnoticed by the village Elders. They have asked me to inform you that they wish to meet you personally, and talk to you." Naruto said, "What? But why?"

Tsunade frowned and said, "I don't know that either. I have tried my hardest to find out, but the geezers just don't budge. Anyway, this request is more of an indirect order. However, Naruto, I must ask you to remain on your best behavior while you are there. Please don't argue with them. And remain careful of Danzo. He will no doubt try something. Any hint of trouble and I want you out of there as soon as possible. Consider this as an A-Rank mission."

Naruto looked at her seriously and then said, "I see. I guess I'll have to comply, then. Where am I to meet the Elders?"

Tsunade said, "In interrogation room no. 7. They will be expecting you tomorrow morning at 10AM. Be careful, Naruto." Naruto nodded and then said, "Is that all, then? Coz I'm itching to have some ramen now." Tsunade face palmed and said, "Don't you feel you should meet Ino before that?"

Naruto grinned and said, "Oh, you don't need to worry about that. Ino won't be mad at me. Besides, once I meet her, I won't have any time for ramen." He winked and she blushed slightly at the implications of that statement. She said, "Get lost, you pervert."

He vanished, and she thought, 'Geez, he's becoming as bad as Jiraiya. Thinking of which, where is that old fool?" Just then, an ANBU member reported in, and saluted. She said, "What is it?"

The ANBU member replied, "Master Jiraiya has sent a message. Here it is." He handed over the piece of paper to her and saluted again, before vanishing. Tsunade read the scrawl of writing and thought, 'What business could Jiraiya have at Tanzaku Town? Oh well. I guess I just have to wait for him to come back."

Naruto finished his nineteenth bowl of ramen and sighed in satisfaction. Teuchi smiled at him and said, "You've not eaten this much ramen in a long time, Naruto. Everything alright?" Naruto winked at him and said, "I'm not gonna be able to eat this much ramen for some time now. So I figured I should eat as much as I can right now." Teuchi nodded and said, "So, do you want another bowl?" Naruto shook his head, yawning, "No, I guess this is all I can eat right now. Thanks a lot, old man. Here's the money."

Naruto left Ichiraku's and headed home. He decided to walk, to help digest all the ramen he had eaten. He reached home and saw Kurumi, the receptionist, writing something. She looked up and smiled, blushing a little. She said, "Welcome back, Naruto-kun! I haven't seen you for a while now! Where were you?" He scratched his head and replied, "Oh, I was off training." She nodded and said, "Ino-san isn't at home right now. She's off training with her team." Naruto said, "Thanks for the tip. I was hoping to meet her now, but I guess I can wait for a while."

He left, and walked up the stairs. Suddenly, a door burst open on the sixth floor and a cat came running out of it. A man followed, brandishing a knife in his hand. He shouted, "You better stay away from this house, or you're gonna be sorry!" Then he noticed Naruto and said, "Sorry about that. That cat keeps coming to my house and stealing my food." Naruto said, "Do you want me to get rid of it?" The man said, "But how would you do that? And anyway, I can't ask a stranger to do things for me." Naruto said, "It's alright. I'm a ninja. And it is my Ninja Way to help out people however I can." The man smiled and said, "Thanks a lot. However, the cat has gone." Naruto looked around and then said, "I see. I'll find it and put it away somewhere, maybe in a pet shop or something." The man replied, "Really, there's no need to…"

Naruto said, "Don't worry. It will be like training for me. So it's really not a problem." The man thanked him again and went into his house. Naruto sat down in the corridor and started meditating. A few minutes later, he opened his eyes, sensing the displacement of nature energy where the cat had just travelled from. It was a block away, curling up in an alley. He shunshined outside the building, and entered the alley. Faster than the human eye could see, he caught the cat by the neck. It froze in his hand and he thought, "Where should I put this cat now?" Then he remembered that he had seen a pet store, a couple of blocks away from Iguromo's shop. He headed there and gave the cat to the owner of that shop, who thanked him profusely for bringing in such a fine looking specimen.

Naruto decided to restock his kunai and shurikens from Iguromo. He entered the shop and bumped his chin straight into someone's head. The person in question rubbed their head and said, "Watch it, will you!"

Naruto's temper flew and he began to shout, "YOU'RE THE ONE WHO SHOULD BE…" Just then, he saw the person who he was busy shouting at, and his mouth fell open. He said, "Sasame? Is that you?" Sasame looked up to see Naruto's face and she smiled happily. "Naruto!" She hugged him. He just stood there, confused, and she finally broke apart from him, saying, "It's been so long! You've changed so much!"

He looked at her and said, "I could say the same. You used to look like a boy. You even pretended to be a boy. What happened to you?" He checked her out, recording her figure instantly, '30C – 24 – 32.' Sasame had changed a lot from the last time he had seen her. Gone was the mask and the boyish outfit. She now wore a short style pale pink shozoku which ended at her waist, and bicycle shorts underneath. She had become quite a bit taller as well, although still on the short side. She said, "You've become quite handsome, Naruto!"

He smiled sheepishly and said, "Thanks. What are you doing here, Sasame?" She said, "Don't you know? My clan was asked to join the Land of Snow, to increase its defence. But I asked to be transferred here, and Lady Tsunade allowed me to join. They put me to the test just two days ago, and according to them, I passed with flying colors. So, I'm a Leaf shinobi now!"

Naruto suddenly noticed the headband on her left arm's sleeve and nodded. He said, "So, whose team are you in?" Sasame said, "I don't know yet. I haven't been assigned any team right now." Naruto said, "Well, best of luck for whichever team you get!" She smiled and said, "Thanks a lot, Naruto. Well, I gotta get going, Lady Tsunade has called me in today. Maybe we'll meet again for some dinner or something?" He nodded and she practically bounced off towards Ninja Ops. He thought, 'What's up with her?' He turned to Iguromo, who was smiling, and said, "Give me a dozen kunai and shuriken, please, Iguromo-san."

As he walked out of Iguromo's shop, Naruto saw Ino heading home. He smiled and thought, 'Time to surprise Ino.' He watched her carefully as she walked, and waited for the opportune moment. As she passed by an alley, a hand pulled her in. She squealed in surprise and another hand covered her mouth. She looked up to see Naruto smiling at her. She smiled back and said, "Where are you, Naruto?" He looked at her in confusion and said, "What do you mean, Ino-chan?"

Ino smiled sweetly and said, "I know that you are a Shadow Clone. Where is the real you?" Naruto grumbled, "How did you know?" She replied, "I can sense the tension in your body, the way you were high on adrenaline while going along with Naruto's plan. And you don't have the authentic Naruto feel. Where is he?"

The clone said, "I don't know. He summoned me at Iguromo's and then gave me my orders. Then he vanished." Ino said, "Well, then. Let him know that he's missing this if he doesn't show up right away." She suddenly kissed the clone straight on the mouth, before breaking apart and punching him in the gut, hard. The surprised clone exploded and a voice echoed from a block away, "HEY!"

Ino smiled, "Got him."

A second later, Naruto and Ino were in the alley, kissing furiously. Ino said, "How did you like my method of finding you?" Naruto said fiercely, "You are mine. Don't ever kiss my clones again!" Ino smiled and said, "But I thought that your clones are you, aren't they?" He shook his head and said, "Every clone of mine has a different personality. They are part of me, but not really me. They are like different people who look like me and possess my abilities."

Ino wondered about this and Naruto said, "Wanna head home to continue?" She nodded and a second later, they were at their home. Their antics continued until evening.

Jiraiya said, "I thought you weren't due here until tomorrow."

A voice said, "I have news." Jiraiya looked at him in surprise and with a little interest. He said, "Is something wrong?"

The man in the black cloak looked back at him and said, "Pein just inducted a person named Tobi into the Akatsuki, without taking the test. I wonder who this person is. He must have been strong if he was inducted so easily. He behaves like an immature person, but he didn't fool my eyes. I could make out that Pein himself was talking rather carefully about him, like as though he didn't want to insult the person even by mistake."

Jiraiya pondered over that and said, "Who could this mysterious man be?" The Akatsuki informant said, "I have absolutely no idea as of now. But I sure intend to find out." The sage asked, "How long are you planning to remain undercover? I think it's high time you came back. We will need you soon."

The man shook his head and said, "I am of more use undercover, Master Jiraiya. I can help taking out the Akatsuki from the inside. Also, I am working on finding something. I won't say what it is now, but it is worth remaining undercover for." Jiraiya said, "Well, I guess you know what you're doing. Anyway, if that's all, I better get going. There are some lovely ladies around just waiting to become my subjects for research." The informant gave him a small smile and then said, "I see you haven't changed."

Jiraiya laughed and said, "Me? Never." They parted ways and Jiraiya started heading back to town. Just then, the man turned and said, "Jiraiya san. I just remembered. I've just been tasked to hunt one of the Jinchuurikis. I'll try to delay it as much as I can of course. But I expect that Naruto will be the next target after this. Make sure you keep him as far away from me as you can." Jiraiya turned back and said, "Thanks for the information. I'll see what I can do."

Once Jiraiya reached town, he took out his cellular and hit number one on his speed dial. The phone rang twice before connecting. "What is it, Jiraiya? And mind explaining why you've been to Tanzaku Town?"

Jiraiya smiled, and said, "Always so angry, Tsunade. You might just succumb to it one day." She said angrily, "I don't plan on dying soon. And why did you call?" Jiraiya said seriously, "I met **him** just now." Tsunade's voice sounded through the phone and said, "What? But I thought you weren't supposed to meet him until next month!"

Jiraiya said, "I know. But he scheduled it. It was urgent. And I've got some news." She said, "What news?" The pervert sage said, "It's too confidential to say on the phone. I'll be back tomorrow morning. We'll talk then. Is everything alright in the village?"

Tsunade said, "Well, the village is normal as usual. Naruto's returned from Mount Myoboku." Jiraiya said, "Oh, good. I'm looking forward to sparring with him to test out his strength. I'm pretty sure he's surpassed me already." Tsunade said, "There is some odd news. The village Elders summoned Naruto to speak to him."

Jiraiya frowned, "Why? What do they want with him? They've always ignored him until now." Tsunade said, "I know, but I would wager it is something about him becoming an adult." Jiraiya said, "Oh, right. It's only a week to his birthday. Well, I guess I'll talk to you tomorrow then. I've gotta go now, there are some really lovely ladies waiting for me." Tsunade sighed and said, "Good grief. I don't want to hear about this. Bye." She hung up and Jiraiya went back to his research.

The next day, Naruto woke up early, remembering his meeting with the Elders. He looked to his right to see Ino sleeping soundly and smiled. He got out of bed and went to get freshened up. Just then a knock on the door diverted his attention and he went to take the door. He opened the door and was surprised to see…

"Sakura?"

Sakura smiled and said, "Hi. I hope I didn't wake you up too early, Naruto." He said, "Not really, I woke up a few minutes ago. What are you doing here, anyway?" Sakura said, "I was told to tell you that I will be escorting you to the Interrogation Chamber 11 today, at 10AM." Naruto frowned and said, "I thought it was Interrogation Chamber 7." Sakura nodded and said, "They've changed it. I thought you should know, because Interrogation Chamber 11 is highly sound proof and has various seals over it. So anyone entering the chamber is highly restricted while they are inside." Naruto stared at her stunned, and said, "Why would they do something like this? Are they taking my trial or something?"

Sakura also frowned slightly and said, "I don't know. But even Lady Tsunade is not allowed to oversee the meeting. I think something serious is up, Naruto. You will have to be extremely careful. Come on, get dressed, I need to link you up with some wireless comms. I'll wait in the hall."

Naruto got dressed and Ino woke up. She came out of the bedroom into the hall wearing nothing at all, and yawned. "What's with all the ruckus, Naruto?" Naruto turned red as he realized that Sakura could see Ino right now. If he was red right now, then it was nothing compared to the color on Sakura's face. Ino suddenly realized that Sakura was standing in the hall, staring at the two blondes, and came to her senses with a jolt. She quickly shunshined back into her room, and came back out wearing one of Naruto's night-shirts.

"Hey Sakura, what are you doing here so early?"

Sakura just stared at her. Ino suddenly became self - conscious and said, "What? Why are you just staring at me like this?"

Naruto went to his own room to get his kunai pouches and Sakura closed in on Ino. She whispered, "So you and Naruto…"

Ino laughed and said, "Grow up, Sakura. We aren't children anymore. We're fully fledged ninjas now. And I gotta tell you, it's well worth it. Naruto is amazing. He's so bi…" Sakura blushed deeply again and said, "Stop it. I don't wanna know, alright!"

Ino laughed again, and Naruto came back, strapping his kunai pouches to his legs. He said, "What time do we leave, Sakura? If it isn't too late, I wanna get some ramen before I get there." Sakura looked at her watch and said, "Well, there's still some time before we leave. So I guess you can have your ramen. Maybe I'll have some diet ramen too."

Ino said, "You still haven't told me what you're doing here, forehead." Sakura frowned slightly at the old nickname, but replied, "Well, to put it bluntly, I'm Naruto's bodyguard today." Ino stared at her and she continued, "Lady Tsunade is not allowed to oversee Naruto's meeting with the Elders. So she's sent me as a stand - in for her. That reminds me, Naruto. Take this mic and attach it to the inside of your uniform coat." Naruto took the mic and attached it to his jumpsuit vest, hiding it behind his coat. Ino looked at him and said, "Naruto, be careful. And don't go shouting at the Elders now." Naruto grinned and said, "Don't worry, Ino, I got this." Ino sighed and thought, 'That's what I'm worried about.'

The two team-mates left the house and Ino started getting dressed up. Naruto and Sakura headed to Ichiraku's and she said, "So, how's things? We haven't met for a while, Naruto." He looked at her in confusion before remembering that he had been gone for a whole month. He nodded and said, "I had gone to Mount Myoboku for training in Sage Mode."

Sakura frowned and asked, "What is Sage Mode?" He began explaining the concept to her and by the time he was done, they had reached Ichiraku's. Naruto's eyes suddenly bulged and Sakura looked in the direction he was facing, only to find…

"WHY IS IT CLOSED?" Naruto bawled hysterically.

Sakura shushed him quickly and said, "Surely there must be a problem. Let's check it out." He nodded and they went around to the back of the shop. They saw the windows of the shop as well as the back door closed. Naruto said, "Something is definitely not right. Old man Teuchi has never closed his windows before."

Sakura said, "Maybe he went off somewhere." Naruto was beginning to think the same, but just then, a sound came from inside the shop. Naruto's ears picked up the sound immediately. He said, "Sakura, there's someone inside."

Sakura immediately signed quickly and said quietly, "Ninja Arts: Five Sense Augmentation!" The minor GenJutsu she activated caused all of her senses to become extremely sensitive and she said, "Naruto, please don't speak in more than a whisper. My ears are highly sensitive right now, so any normal voice will sound like extreme shouting to me." Naruto nodded and whispered, "How do we go about this? I don't want to damage the shop in the slightest."

Sakura said, "I'll pick the lock of the back door." Naruto stared at her and she said "What?" He whispered, "You can pick locks?"

Sakura nearly fell through the ground at the mundane question. Then she suddenly realized that he was not there when the extra training for the Leaf ninjas had been taken. She said, "Almost every ninja of Chunin or higher rank can pick locks, Naruto. We had some special training a couple of years ago, after you had left the village." Naruto nodded and looked down, whispering, "So, one more thing I'm behind on than the rest of my class." Sakura said, "No, Shino and Lee didn't learn too. Shino uses his bugs to open locks and Lee wasn't able to learn, because he was on a mission at that time."

Naruto whispered, "Okay okay, let's get on with this. I have to go for the meeting, remember?" She nodded and quickly picked the lock on the backdoor. Once they were in, she quickly put her hands to her ears. Then she signed to indicate that there were footsteps going around the shop. Naruto put up his fingers in the Shadow Clone Jutsu hand sign and shrugged. She correctly interpreted his action and nodded. A single shadow clone spawned next to Naruto silently. He transformed into a rat and went into the kitchen.

Suddenly, the clone dispelled and Naruto received his memories. He stood with a laugh and whispered, "Release your GenJutsu, Sakura." Sakura signed and the GenJutsu was released. Then she said, "What is it, Naruto? What did your clone tell you?"

Naruto said, "Old man Teuchi is sick. He's walking around inside, trying to do all his stuff, but he's coughing all the time and not as fast as usual. Ayame isn't around anywhere." Sakura nodded and the two of them entered the kitchen. Naruto said, "Hey old man, why didn't you open up the shop?"

Teuchi looked back in surprise and croaked, "Naruto? How did you get in?"

Naruto replied, "We saw the shop closed and got suspicious, so Sakura picked the lock of the backdoor. I sent a shadow clone to investigate and his memories showed me that you were sick."

Teuchi nodded and wheezed, "I'm not feeling up to making ramen today. I'm pretty bad right now. Ayame even worse. She wasn't even able to get out of bed today." Sakura quickly went over to him and put her hands on his shoulder. A green glow emitted out of her hands, and Teuchi suddenly straightened up. He said, "Wow, I feel much better now. Thank you, Sakura!" She smiled cheerfully at him and then looked at the clock on the wall. She gasped and said, "Naruto, it's nearly time! We need to be there in a couple of minutes!" Naruto looked at the clock too and face palmed. He caught her hand and said, "Hold on!" She slightly blushed at the sudden contact but held on to his hand. The two of them suddenly vanished and Teuchi thought, 'Where the hell does Naruto vanish off to all the time? I wanted to ask Sakura to heal Ayame too. Oh well. Maybe later."

Naruto and Sakura suddenly appeared on the roof of Ninja Ops and Naruto raced down the stairs. Sakura blinked at the sudden change in the surrounding and thought, 'How the hell did we get here? Never mind, I gotta get going.' She raced after Naruto. They reached the bottom of the Ops building and descended down the secret route below the building at top speed. They reached the interrogation room 11 just a minute before the scheduled meeting time. Sakura said, "Good luck Naruto." He said, "You're not coming in?"

She replied, "No, I can't. I'll be waiting outside, listening in through this receiver. Go, quick." He entered the room and looked in with surprise.


	29. Chapter 29: The Knucklehead VS The Elder

Author's Note: Sorry for the short chapter, busy with exams. Goes to show how much I love you guys. :) Leave a review if you like, and Happy Reading!

**Chapter 29: The Knucklehead VS The Elder**

Naruto was surprised to see no one inside. He went to the chair in the middle of the room and sat. Suddenly, the village Elders appeared before him. He realized that they were sitting there but he couldn't see them because they had shielded themselves until now.

Danzo stared at the Jinchuuriki with distaste. Homura looked at Naruto with a small smile on his face, while Koharu kept her face neutral. Naruto looked at the Elders with a neutral expression of his own and said, "To what do I owe this…honor?"

Koharu spoke, "Where have you been for the last month?"

Naruto replied, "I was training in Sage Mode at Mount Myoboku."

Danzo's left eye widened in disbelief. Homura leaned in with a little interest and Koharu said, "Explain."

Naruto said, "There ain't much to explain. Per... I mean, Jiraiya-sensei has been wanting me to learn Sage Jutsu for a long time now. Due to the Akatsuki wanting to capture me, Lady Tsunade thought it would be a good idea to let me learn the technique. So I went off to the Toad clan in Mount Myoboku and learned Sage Jutsu from there."

Danzo said, "And how adept are you in Sage Jutsu?" Naruto puffed his chest out and said proudly, "Lord Fukasaku, that's the Elder toad who taught me, said that I had become a perfect Sage."

The three Elders were totally taken aback by this sudden development. Danzo could not believe his ears, and the other two were quite amazed. Homura thought, 'So, the boy has shown promise after all.' He said, "Naruto, we have decided to keep you confined to the village until the threat of the Akatsuki is no more."

Naruto stared at him in disbelief and said, "Say what? What do you mean, keep me confined to the village?" Koharu said, "As strong as you may be now, you are no match for the Akatsuki. We cannot risk you getting captured by them. So, you are to remain in the village at all times now." Naruto began to feel the anger rise inside him but maintained his composure nevertheless.

He said, "With all due respect, I don't feel that keeping me confined in the village is going to save me if the Akatsuki come bursting through. You know the strength they have. They even have Itachi Uchiha, one of the best spies and ninjas the Leaf has ever produced. If they want to kidnap me, they can do it at any old time. In fact, if I remain on the move all the time, it will help throw them off the track."

Koharu pondered over this and Danzo thought, 'The boy has promise. I could…'

But what he could exactly, no one would know, since Homura said, "It doesn't matter. The Leaf village is strong enough to protect you. You must remain in the village until the Akatsuki is finished."

Naruto said, "I don't have a problem with that. However, you should realize that you don't have any authority to confine me to the village. That is the sole right of the Hokage and I'm pretty sure that she would agree with me." Danzo's eye narrowed with contempt and he said, "Princess Tsunade is weak and selfish. She has made many errors in her past and will continue to do so. This is the reason that I had the meeting arranged in this room. I will not allow you to leave until you take a Blood Oath stating that you will not leave the village."

Naruto growled, "I'll do no such thing." Danzo said, "Well, then. It seems that we have an altercation." Koharu and Homura gazed at the two of them and decided to stay out of this. Danzo said, "It seems that you cannot be persuaded by normal means."

Suddenly, Naruto started feeling a little light headed. He heard Danzo's voice in his head, saying, "Take the Blood Oath. Do it, for the sake of village." Naruto's eyes went blank and he repeated, "For the village."

Koharu and Homura looked at him in confusion, but Naruto continued to to repeat the same words over and over. Then he took off his coat and shirt of his jumpsuit. He cut his thumb open with his canines and was just about to inscribe the kanji for Honor on his heart when…

The Kyuubi suddenly roared in Naruto's psyche and the confused teen turned to face him. Naruto said, "What's wrong with you?"

The Kyuubi growled, "**What the hell is wrong with you, baka? Are you really falling under Danzo's control so easily? After you were able to wrestle control away from me, the Kyuubi, you're going to give up your control to that second rate traitor?**"

Naruto said, "What do you mean? I'm not under his control." The Kyuubi said, "**You idiot. Can't you see that you've just bitten you own thumb to draw blood! You're going to take a Blood Oath right now!**"

The teen looked outside his psyche to realize that the Kyuubi was right. He couldn't control himself however, it was as though his hands were moving on their own. He went back in the psyche and said, "What do I do now?"

The Kyuubi retorted, "**Danzo is using one of the Sharingan techniques to subdue you. He's using the Kotoamatsukami. Fortunately, I have seen that technique before. If you relinquish your control over me for a minute, I can get free of it.**"

Naruto laughed and said, "Do you think I'm that big of a fool? I'm never gonna let you take control." The Kyuubi said, "**Whatever. I'm just trying to save you. If you die, I die, after all. But if you want it this way, you can have it.**" Naruto pondered over that and said, "Will you promise not to harm anyone?"

The Nine Tails said, "**You're in no position to bargain, idiot.**" Naruto said, "Oh, but I think I am. If I die, you die, after all. You said it yourself." The fox said, "**Don't be a smartass. Alright, just this once, I won't harm anyone.**" Naruto smiled and gave up his control.

Outside his psyche, as Naruto was about to put his thumb to his heart, suddenly he stopped. Danzo continued prodding him, but Naruto suddenly looked up and smiled viciously. The Elders saw that his eyes had gone red. Koharu and Homura scrambled back, and Naruto spoke to Danzo, "**Trying to force the boy into taking the Blood Oath, are you? I never thought you would use that cursed eye for something so mundane.**"

Koharu and Homura looked in confusion at the teen and then at Danzo. Koharu said, "What is the meaning of this? What is the child talking about, Danzo?" Danzo said, "I see you've taken control, Kyuubi." The Kyuubi laughed and said, "**Not really. You see, I've seen the Kotoamatsukami before, and I know how to get rid of it. That cursed Sharingan doesn't work on someone whose willpower is greater than it. I just don't want the kid to be influenced by a traitor like you. I couldn't care less about the brat.**"

Both the other Elders stared at Danzo, who unwrapped his right eye and revealed a red eye with a four pin wheel design. He said, "So, you know about the Kotoamatsukami, do you? I never should have wasted my chakra on something like that. It was stupid on my part. But whatever I'm doing, I'm doing for the sake of the village."

The two Elders looked at him in amazement and Koharu said, "I've seen that eye before. It belonged to Shisui Uchiha. How do you possess it, Danzo?" The old Sharingan wielder replied without hesitation, "Shisui himself gave it to me, before he committed suicide. You see, he knew the potential of his eyes and relied on me to use it the same way he did. And Shisui worked for the Root Foundation after all."

Naruto/Kyuubi laughed and said, "**Lies.**"

The Elders looked at him again in surprise and he continued, "**That traitor stole Shisui Uchiha's right eye and would have done the same with the left if Shisui hadn't managed to escape. You see, Danzo, somehow, I can somehow see memories of the Sharingan eye which you possess. Shisui was quite clever, leaving behind a trace like that. I can see right now that you stole his right eye, after which he seems to have disappeared. Too bad you couldn't get his left eye. The full power of the Kotoamatsukami is only unleashed when both the eyes belong to the same person.**"

Danzo got up from his chair and said, "It seems that this is going to be quite a nuisance. I must say, I was rather surprised when the boy let the fox take control over him. I guess he's too weak to control the demon."

Naruto riled up, but Kyuubi said to him, "**Don't get angry. It's what he wants. You see, your anger automatically influences my will onto you. And I feed off anger. If you get angry, I won't control myself. Not like I care or anything, but I would rather not destroy the village.**" Naruto calmed down slightly but looked at Danzo in hatred.

Danzo had now finished unwrapping his right hand from the bandages that had always covered them. Koharu and Homura stared at the arm in surprise and Koharu said, "Danzo, that's…" Danzo smiled and said, "It seems that the boy won't give up without a fight, eh? Don't worry, I have a few tricks to control you, Kyuubi."

Danzo's right hand was completely grey in color. But the astonishing fact was that the entire arm seemed to be covered in Sharingans.

The Nine Tails snarled inside Naruto's psyche, and the boy asked him, "What's the matter, Kyuubi? You afraid of that old geezer?" Kyuubi snorted and replied, "**As if. But he possesses the cells of the Shodai in his right hand. As you know, the First Hokage was the only one who could control me without using the Sharingan. And since I'm inside of you, Danzo cannot control me with his Sharingan, but the Wood Style in his right arm can.**"

Naruto pondered over that. Just then, Sakura burst in and shouted, "Don't you dare touch Naruto, you traitor!" Everyone looked at the new arrival in surprise and Koharu said, "How did you…"

Sakura pointed to the transmitter in her hands and said, "Lady Tsunade suspected that something was up when you didn't allow her to oversee the meeting. She told me to hide a mic in Naruto's uniform, which would allow me to hear everything." Koharu nodded and said, "Call Tsunade right away. We have a situation here now." Sakura substituted herself for Homura and picked up Koharu.

The female Elder shouted, "What is the meaning of this? Put me down!" Sakura shunshined next to the door, and said, "Sorry, I must help Naruto. Please inform Lady Tsunade of the situation. I'll help Naruto hold off Danzo." Koharu nodded and left the room along with Homura.

Danzo smiled and said, "Do you honestly think you can hold me off by yourselves?" Naruto went back into his psyche and said, "Kyuubi, get lost now. This is my fight. I don't want you trying to influence me." The demon growled and said, "**You better watch your tone, kid. Or else, I might just kill Sakura here right now.**"

Naruto forced control back to himself and said to Danzo, "You might just be underestimating us. We're part of Team 7, the most unpredictable team in the world." In spite of the dire situation, Sakura couldn't help but smile.

Danzo said, "Well, in that case, what are you waiting for?"

Naruto said, "Well, if yo want to get beat up so bad, I don't have a problem doing it right NOW!" He charged towards Danzo and started unleashing a flurry of punches and kicks at the old Elder. However, Shisui's eye was able to predict them all, and Danzo simply avoided all of them. The Kyuubi riled up, not having liked being forced out of control by Naruto. Danzo tried to land a punch of his own, and was surprised to see Naruto get hit by it. Naruto flew back into the wall of the Interrogation Chamber, and Sakura pulled him out of it. She said, "What happened?"

Naruto said, "The stupid fox is irritating me." Sakura nodded and the two of them went back into their team stance. Danzo waited for the two of them to attack, but none of them moved. Just then, Tsunade burst in and said, "What the hell is going on in here? What is the meaning of this, Danzo?"

Danzo spoke in a grave voice, "Better keep out of this, Princess Tsunade. I will not allow Naruto to leave this village." Tsunade said, "What the hell are you thinking, Danzo? It is not up to you to see who stays in the village and who doesn't."

Danzo replied, "I am doing this for the sake of the village. As you should be doing, but you are too foolish and weak to do so." Tsunade's eyebrow twitched and then she said, "You traitor. You stole the Sharingans from the Uchiha clan. And you no doubt obtained the cells of my grandfather from Orochimaru, did you not?"

Danzo was slightly surprised to find out that she knew that, but said, "Yes, I did. And they have proved to be extremely useful in controlling the multiple Sharingans. After all, only the Senjus could ever keep the Uchihas in check."

Naruto was getting even more frustrated by this talking and charged in again. This time, Danzo's attention was divided between Naruto and Tsunade, so Shisui's eye could not keep up, and Naruto managed to land a punch on Danzo's back.

Danzo fell forward, but quickly substituted himself for Tsunade and Naruto just stopped short of decimating her with a Rasengan. With fury in his blue eyes, he said, "You would sacrifice anyone, even the Hokage, and still say that it is for the sake of the village? You make me sick."

Tsunade also stared daggers at Danzo, who said, "I will do whatever needs to be done." Tsunade began to speak, but Naruto said, "Grandma Tsunade, I'm going to smack some sense into this traitor right now." She said, "Naruto, as much as I would like you to do that, you can't. Danzo is the head of the Root. If he is killed, the entire Root foundation would be affected. And much as I hate to say it, we need the Root. Without it, the Leaf village would be answerable for a lot of things that they have covered up well."

Danzo nodded, and that riled up Naruto even more. He said, "I don't care. To think that this guy would put you at danger just for what he thinks is right, that's unacceptable. I'm gonna make him pay, no matter what the consequences."

Just then, a voice came from the entrance and said, "I couldn't agree more." Everyone looked at the person and it turned out to be Homura. He said, "Danzo is a traitor to the Leaf. He desecrated the tombs of the Uchiha clan, and also underwent illegal operations with Orochimaru. He cannot be allowed to live. Furthermore, he tried to use Kotoamatsukami against a fellow member of the Leaf village. I fully support Naruto right now."

Tsunade said, "But what about the…" Homura held up his hand, and Tsunade fell silent. Homura said, "I have a person in mind who can at least temporarily manage the Root Foundation." She said, "Well, then. Looks like it's finally time for you to retire, Danzo. Permanently." Danzo grimaced and got into a fighting stance.

Tsunade took off her green overcoat and began to get ready to fight as well, but Naruto said, "Grandma Tsunade, there's no need for you to get involved in this. I'm going to kill him myself." She began to argue but then realized that he could fight Danzo now, being as strong as he was.

Naruto quickly shunshined next to Sakura, and whispered, "Hold my hand." She blushed slightly at the directness of the statement and said, "What for?" He said, "Just do it." She held his hand, and the next instant, they shunshined behind Danzo. He barely could register a look of surprise on his face, before Naruto put his left hand on Danzo's shoulder, and the trio vanished. Tsunade thought, 'Now, where the hell did he take Danzo?'

Homura blinked; he had just seen three people vanish in front of his eyes. He looked at Tsunade with an intense stare, and asked, "Where is he?"

Tsunade said, "No idea, but good that he did. I don't want half the village to be destroyed in their battle as it is. I forgot, but we're under Ninja Ops."

Homura nodded.

Danzo suddenly found himself in a clearing and demanded, "How did you do that?" Naruto smirked and said, "Well, since you're gonna die anyway, I don't see the reason to tell you that." Danzo grimaced and said, "I'm not going down that easily."

Sakura said, "Isn't this the clearing where we trained, Naruto?" He nodded, and she asked, "How did we get here?" He said, "All in good time, Sakura."

She frowned, but shrugged nevertheless, and the two of them faced Danzo again. He quickly signed and said, "Ninja Arts: Summoning Jutsu!"

Sakura and Naruto stared at the cloud of smoke that had just gone up. They looked up in the sky and a figure emerged through the smoke. It was…

"A Chimera?!" Sakura gasped.

The Chimera looked at them with a fierce intensity in its eyes. It was orange in color, with bandages on its head, and a huge trunk, with armor on its base. It had tiger like legs, and was huge.

Naruto said, "Whoa, that's a big summon. I doubt even the Chief is as big as this one." Danzo said, "There is no summon bigger than Baku in the entire world. Prepare to meet your demise. I had hoped that we could come to a peaceful negotiation, but it seems like that's not possible."

Naruto growled and said, "If you think that this beast is going to kill us, you've got another thing coming." He began to sign, but Baku suddenly opened his mouth and a huge vacuum of air started getting sucked in. Naruto was barely able to maintain his balance, and looked at Sakura, amazed to see her calmly standing as though nothing was happening.

He said, "How are you standing still so easily, Sakura?" She replied, "I've boosted my leg muscles with chakra. I don't feel any pull." He considered that and said, "Good going, but just staying still is not going to help us win this fight, you know." She nodded, and Naruto started to come up with a plan. However, Danzo jumped up on Baku's head and signed quickly. He said, "Wind Style: Vacuum Serial Wave!"

A huge wave of wind flew across the clearing, and Baku stopped sucking in the wind, so that the wave of wind hit Naruto squarely in the chest. He gasped and flew backwards into a cluster of trees. Sakura shouted, "NARUTO!" but Baku took a giant leap and landed in front of her before she could move to help the knucklehead. She considered her options, and decided to go for the simplest one. She ducked under a giant swipe of Baku's and picked him up with her bare arms. Her muscles started straining and veins popped out of them. Danzo stared in astonishment as Sakura managed to throw Baku to the opposite direction.

'She's so strong! She's just like Princess Tsunade! I've got to be more careful around her.' Danzo thought. Naruto came back into the clearing, shaking his head to clear it and coughed, "Wow, that jutsu hit me really hard." Sakura heaved a sigh of relief that nothing much had happened to him, apart from his clothing tearing, and said, "Come on. We have to hit them before Danzo can get that beast up again."

But before they could do that, Baku was up again, and was snarling furiously. Danzo stood atop him, and had started signing again. Baku extended his trunk, and the two teens braced themselves, digging their feet into the ground. But when the wind came, it started pushing them back, rather than pulling them in. This totally came as a surprise to the two, and they were pushed back quite a bit, before they could stabilize. Danzo finished his hand signs and said, "Wind Style: Giant Breakthrough!"

Three gusts of sharpened wind chakra flew across the clearing at top speed, amplified by the wind of Baku. Naruto and Sakura paled, as the jutsu bore down on them. At the last moment, Naruto signed in full speed and shouted, "Earth Style: Mud Wall!"

A huge wall of earth came up from the ground, and protected the two of them from the gusts of wind. As the last gust hit the wall, it crumbled into pieces. Danzo stared in astonishment at Naruto, thinking, 'Where did he learn this jutsu? I thought he knows only the Shadow Clone Jutsu and the Rasengan, along with the Summoning Jutsu! Can he have learnt it recently? Or did Princess Tsunade not give me his original report when I asked for it yesterday?' But he had no time to think, as Sakura was bearing down on Baku with a muscle boosted punch. He barely had time to register what had happened before he felt Baku flying behind by the sheer strength of the punch.

Baku snorted in agitation, and disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Danzo fell onto the ground, and Naruto charged in with a Rasengan. Danzo signed thrice, and Naruto connected with the Fourth Hokage's jutsu, before Danzo could do anything else. The traitor was blasted into the ground by the force of the attack and Sakura looked at the huge hole created with a look of astonishment. Naruto emerged from the hole and said, "That went easier than I thought." Sakura started to nod, before shouting, "WATCH OUT!"

Naruto turned around just in time to avoid Danzo's kunai, which was aimed at his neck. He countered with a kick of his own, sending Danzo flying behind. The old man retreated for a while, and Sakura reached Naruto. Naruto, surprised, said, "What the heck? I thought I got him!"

Sakura nodded and said, "I thought that too. But just as you started walking over to me, I saw a shadow behind you. It turned into Danzo and he aimed that kunai at you. I don't know how, but it seems like he did something just before you hit him with the Rasengan. He signed thrice."

Naruto frowned as he remembered that. Danzo started a long string of signs and both the teens faced him again. Danzo took a huge breath and exhaled, shouting, "Wind Style: Vacuum Blast!"

A sharp line of wind extended from Danzo's mouth, aimed towards Naruto, who quickly jumped to the right. But the wind followed him and quickly grazed his right shoulder. He managed to avoid the rest of the attack and stared at Danzo with a little bit of respect. His shoulder started healing instantly.

Sakura started trying to land a hit on Danzo, but with Shisui's Sharingan, there was no use trying to hit him. Just then, Danzo felt a slight draft of wind behind him and managed to turn Sakura's last punch directly into a throw. He threw Sakura into the draft which he had felt, and Naruto was forced to abandon pooling the wind chakra around him. He and Sakura regrouped again.

Just then, Sakura noticed that one Sharingan on Danzo's arm had closed down. She frowned at the sight and Danzo noticed her looking at his arm with a slight tension. He thought, 'I better finish the fight while I can. The massive amount of chakra I have already used is taking its toll.' He charged towards Sakura, trying to keep her from thinking. Naruto was deciding whether to fight hand to hand or to try a jutsu. Just then, Kyuubi spoke inside Naruto's psyche. He said, "**Naruto, I suddenly realized why I was able to sense the Kotoamatsukami. You see, I have seen this Dojutsu a long time ago, even before the Hidden Leaf village was formed. It was used by a man named Shizui Uchiha. I get the feeling that this Sharingan is of a descendant of Shizui.**"

Naruto nodded and said, "So, how did you counter it?" The fox replied, "**I think it is because I have been under the influence of the Kotoamatsukami before. Shizui was one hell of a fighter. I have no doubt that if I hadn't noticed it faster, you would be completely under Danzo's control. However, there is one thing. I was able to read that Shisui guy's memories from his right eye. I don't understand how I was able to do that.**"

Naruto said, "Leave that to figure out for later. So, what's with this jutsu anyway? How's it work?" Kyuubi retorted, "**This jutsu is a GenJutsu which influences a person's willpower against their wishes. It makes you do things you don't want to. So, if you were under Danzo's control, he could make you kill the Hokage or do things that you would never do otherwise.**"

Naruto pondered over that and said, "How do I find out if he's doing it to me?" Kyuubi snorted and replied, "**I saved your ass once. I ain't gonna do it again. Find out your own way.**" Naruto started riling up again, but he just noticed Sakura flying into a tree and put his attention back into the battle.

Just then, Danzo began signing again. He was signing slowly and Naruto could sense that he was building up a large amount of chakra. He decided to make sure that Danzo could not use his jutsu. Danzo finished signing and shouted, "Wind Style: Vacuum Bullet Barrage!" and began to spit out huge bullets of wind chakra from his mouth. Naruto decided to surprise Danzo and disappeared. He reappeared behind Danzo and shouted, "Rasengan!" Danzo turned around in terror and signed even as Naruto thrust the roiling orb into his chest. He flew behind into the edges around the clearing. Naruto thought, 'Phew! That takes a bit of skill. Thank God he didn't notice me before I came up behind him.' He saw Sakura pulling herself out of the tree and said, "Hey Sakura, you all right?" Sakura snorted and said, "I've had worse with Lady Tsunade."

Naruto smirked and began to walk towards her, when a sudden whizz caused his instincts to take over and he ducked, just in time to see a kunai whizz over his head. It flew in a straight line and fell in between the two teens. Naruto turned around to see Danzo walking back into the clearing, no injury on his chest whatsoever. Naruto thought, 'How on earth is he not injured? My Rasengan was at least one and a half times stronger than usual!'

Just then, a huge explosion behind him rocked the ground, and the two of them realized a little too late, that there had been a paper bomb attached to the kunai. Naruto flew forward by the force of the explosion, but managed to right himself up before he landed on the ground in front of Danzo. Sakura had just managed to shield herself with her arms and keep her balance.

Sakura was also wondering the same thing that Naruto was, when she noticed another of Danzo's eyes closing. She frowned and thought, 'What if there is a correspondence between the Sharingans and Danzo's supposed invincibility?' She decided to test it and said, "Naruto, come here a moment." He shunshined back to her, and she said quietly, "I think that the Sharingans in his right arm have something to do with his ability to remain alive after taking such hard hits." Naruto nodded and said, "I was thinking along the same lines. Every time the geezer is about to die, he does those three hand signs. And every time, one of the Sharingans on his right arm close down. I think it is some Jutsu of the Sharingans that is keeping him alive."

Sakura said, "What do we do? We have no way of finding out!" Naruto smirked and said, "I don't know about you, but I know a way of finding out for sure! I just have to keep killing him until he dies!" Sakura face palmed and said, "Do you know that there are other things in the world besides fighting?" They suddenly realized that Danzo was not fighting, but waiting for them, and Sakura said, "I think that he's low on chakra. That's why he's waiting for us to make the first move. He's being defensive." Naruto replied, "I have an idea. Can you keep him busy for five minutes or so? I'll try going into Sage Mode and attack him then. And I'll see if I can spot something different." Sakura nodded and said, "But make sure you do it quick. I won't be able to hold him off for long, not with his long range Wind Jutsu." Naruto nodded and split off a few Shadow Clones. He said, "Provide a distraction." All the clones nodded.

Naruto sat down to meditate and Danzo's eyes widened. He started to charge towards Naruto, but the clones and Sakura came in the middle. Danzo thought, 'He's sitting still. There's no doubt about it. I never thought that the kid could actually use nature energy. This is bad! I must defeat him quickly or they might find out my secret!' Sakura began to fight Danzo and he decided to take her out of the fight before she could pose a threat to him.

The shadow clones were proving to be a nuisance for Danzo, because he was constantly being attacked by more than person. As a result, he was not able to use the Sharingan to predict the clones' or Sakura's moves. He thought, 'This is getting out of hand. I have to end this now.' Danzo waited until Sakura and the clones were in range, and substituted himself for Sakura. As she stared around in bewilderment at the sudden displacement, he signed and said, "Hidden Arts: Wind Blade Storm!" A barrage of wind chakra blades erupted from in front of Danzo's body. Sakura paled as she saw the blades speeding towards her, and braced herself. But the shadow clones quickly got in the way and were destroyed, creating a large cloud of white smoke. Sakura thanked the clones in her mind and quickly shunshined away, using the smoke as a diversion.

As she fell back, however, she suddenly noticed a shadow behind her, and turned around to see Danzo standing behind her. He didn't look at her twice, before plunging the kunai in his right hand straight towards her heart. Sakura closed her eyes and waited for her death…


	30. Chapter 30: The Fall of the Elder

**Chapter 30: The Fall of the Elder**

Danzo plunged his kunai straight towards Sakura's heart. Suddenly, a hand grabbed his forearm. He looked to his right to see Naruto standing next to him, fury in his yellow eyes. He pulled Danzo, hard, and threw him away from Sakura. Danzo went flying and landed a hundred feet away from the two of them. Naruto charged towards him and started a furiously fast version of Frog Kumite.

Sakura opened her eyes, confused. She realized that Naruto had saved her and watched in awe as Naruto fought Danzo, matching his every move, and landing multiple hits on the old man. She wasn't even able to follow a few of his moves, and thought, 'I have GOT to learn Sage Mode!' Danzo was panting from the effort of having to use the Sharingan to predict Naruto's moves so much. Naruto smirked and said, "Getting lightheaded?" Danzo stood straight and said, "You don't understand. This is the only way that the Hidden Leaf village will remain safe."

Naruto said, "It's you don't understand. You old geezer, just because you've lived for a long time, doesn't give you the right to decide what is right and what is wrong. I am of much more use to the village by going out into the world and working, completing missions, helping out in the Land of Fire."

He continued, "You have always tried to protect the village and that is something that I respect. However, you went to extreme measures and put the village at risk under the name of saving it. You tried to have Grandma Tsunade killed. You tried to put me under control, without realizing that it could weaken my will power, and thus my control over the Nine Tails. You underwent illegal means to obtain the Sharingan. You are the worst type of scum that the Ninja World could ever produce."

Danzo said, "Do you really think that I care what you say, boy?! I couldn't care less about the Hokage or you! The Hokage is weak and selfish. She is indecisive and slow. If I were the Hokage, I would have ushered in a new era of ninjas, and made the Hidden Leaf village the strongest village in the entire world!"

Naruto snorted and said, "There's a difference between dreams and real life. The village would never accept you as Hokage. You don't even know what being Hokage means. Hokage is not just a title which symbolizes the strongest person in the village. It is a title earned by shinobi who prove that they value the village, its ideals, and its ninjas above their own life, and who would gladly sacrifice themselves in order to keep their village safe and prosperous. You are nothing but a coward, who would run from death, rather than facing it head on."

Danzo smiled mockingly, and replied, "You are a child. You have absolutely no idea what being a Hokage means. Do you really think that the Third Hokage was a man like you suggest? He was a coward as well, running away from everything. Did you know that he ordered the Uchiha clan to be destroyed? Did you know that he is the reason that the Root Foundation even exists? It is because he was also too weak and stupid to take the right decisions."

Naruto began shaking with anger. He looked at Danzo, his eyes slowly turning red with a vertical slit, albeit with the toad dash as well. The result was a hybrid form of a vertical and a horizontal slit on a background of blood red. He said, "I don't care what you say about me or the village. BUT DON'T YOU EVER INSULT THE THIRD HOKAGE IN FRONT OF ME!" He charged at Danzo, the Nine Tails cloak enveloping him. His attacks became much faster and deadlier, and Danzo was forced to use a GenJutsu to increase his speed. Sakura watched as Naruto managed to hit Danzo with a punch which definitely had the potential to crush Danzo's internal organs.

Just as he fell, Danzo signed thrice. Sakura watched carefully, and Danzo's body fell. Naruto looked around as well, and suddenly took a giant swipe towards his right. Danzo appeared next to his arm, and blocked it with a kunai. Sakura again saw another Sharingan close down and realized. 'He's using a Jutsu related to the Sharingan which allows him to live even through fatal blows. However, every time he uses the jutsu, one of the Sharingans closes down. So if all of them close, then…'

Just then, Naruto managed to land a blow using Frog Kumite on Danzo. The old man flew back into a tree with a deafening crash. He fell to the ground, coughing up blood, and Naruto plunged a kunai into his back. Danzo died with a groan, and Naruto turned around, blocking another attack from Danzo. He shouted, "WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?! JUST DIE ALREADY!"

Sakura knew that she would have to stop Naruto before he went crazy. She fished through her weapons pouch and found the seal that Kakashi-sensei had given her. She charged into the battle, aiming a punch at Danzo. He hopped back to avoid getting his ribs bent inwards, and Sakura quickly slapped the seal onto Naruto's forehead. The chakra from the Kyuubi quickly got siphoned away, and Naruto went back to his normal self. His eyes also turned blue, losing the nature energy.

Naruto said, "What happened, Sakura?" She replied shortly, "Kyuubi was influencing you. Got rid of his chakra." Naruto nodded gratefully and said, "Thanks, I owe you one." She said, "That you do. Now listen up, I found out his secret." Naruto stared at her and asked, "What do you mean?"

Sakura started talking, but Danzo wasn't just going to wait for them to plan strategies. He signed again and shot another barrage of wind bullets. Naruto decided to retreat for now, and let one of the bullets hit his right bicep. The arm tore, and blood dripped freely. He quickly signed and said, "Hidden Arts: Blood Clone Jutsu." The blood quickly formed into two clones. Then Naruto threw a smoke bomb into the ground near him. Danzo narrowed his eyes, trying to make out what was happening in the cloud of smoke, but he couldn't see anything.

Suddenly, Naruto and Sakura emerged from the cloud of smoke and started fighting Danzo at the same time. He struggled to keep up. However, he couldn't help but feel that something was off putting about the way Sakura was fighting.

Meanwhile, the real Naruto and Sakura were safely a few hundred meters away from Danzo. Sakura said, "I think that every time he does those three hand signs, Danzo is activating a jutsu which is allowing him to live, through whatever attacks we throw at him, no matter how deadly they may be. But there's a cost to this invincibility. Every time he uses it, one of the Sharingans in his arm closes down. So, that's why he has so many. So that he can live by using one of the eyes. I guess he usually doesn't need to use more than one. He depends on his enemy thinking that they finished him off, so that he can strike when their attention is somewhere else."

Naruto nodded and replied, "So, like I said before, if we get rid of all the eyes by killing him multiple times, maybe we can really finish this." Sakura nodded and said, "But we must not let him find out that we've realized his trick. Maybe we can turn it to our advantage."

The two of them returned to the battlefield, where Danzo was in the process of plunging a kunai into the transformed blood clone's stomach. Sakura couldn't help but shudder as she saw herself 'die' in front of her eyes. The clone which had transformed into her fell to the ground, turning into a puddle of blood. The other clone looked at the original Naruto, who nodded. The facsimile turned and leaped towards the other side of the clearing, away from Danzo.

Danzo looked at the real duo and said, "I thought that there was something wrong. Sakura is much stronger than that clone of yours, Naruto. However, it was an excellent plan, keeping me distracted with the clones while you were thinking of a plan. I assume you did this when you threw the smoke bomb?"

Naruto didn't respond. He simply stared at Danzo languidly. Then he took a few steps forward. Sakura followed suit. Danzo readied himself for a new attack, but it never came. Instead, Naruto kept staring at Danzo as though he were a rock or a tree. Danzo wondered what had gotten into him, as did Sakura. However, after a minute went by, Danzo lost his patience, and charged at Naruto. The duo of Team 7 started fighting again, but Naruto didn't seem to be attacking; in fact, he seemed to be withholding his power. Sakura couldn't help but wonder what he was trying.

A few minutes later, Naruto was still on the defensive, and Sakura asked him, "Why aren't you fighting properly, Naruto?" Naruto simply smiled and said, "Just wait and watch, Sakura." She nodded and they went back into battle. Suddenly, Sakura's eyes widened as she realized that Naruto was toying with Danzo, trying to get him riled up and make mistakes.

Sakura thought, 'That is amazing, Naruto! Danzo's already low on chakra. If we keep drawing out the fight, he'll be more winded. And there's a chance that the others from the village will be able to provide support too. I have no doubt that the Hyugas in currently scouting the area to search for us.'

She smiled at Naruto and he winked. Danzo looked at them in confusion and then said, "Whatever you are planning, it is not going to work. I can predict whatever attacks you may use. That's one of the advantages of the Sharingan." Naruto began to speak, but Sakura realized what he was going to say, and stopped him just in time, by stomping on his foot. Naruto bit his tongue and turned blue.

Danzo grew even more confused, but thought, 'I must finish the fight while I can, so that I can get a chance to escape before the rest of the village catches up to me.' He quickly performed another string of hand signs, and invoked, "Wind Style: Wind Shuriken Jutsu!"

Seven large white shurikens formed above him, all spinning dangerously fast. He raised his arm and then made a throwing motion towards the teens. Sakura began to get out of the way, but Naruto smiled.

A moment before the shurikens could hit them, seven Narutos suddenly jumped in front of the shurikens, and sacrificed themselves. A huge white cloud of smoke went up as they disappeared, and Danzo waited to see what they would do next. Suddenly the earth began shaking and he jumped into the air just in time, as a huge fissure erupted from the ground in front of him. The fissure, he noted, was coming from the direction of the smoke, and he put two and two together to figure out that Sakura had punched the earth with her fist.

Suddenly, Danzo felt another chakra presence to his extreme right and he looked there just in time to see a Naruto turn into a puddle of blood. His eyes widened as he saw the cloud in front of him clear. Naruto was holding a massive Rasengan of around six feet in diameter above his head, and that too with one hand only. As Danzo thought about what to do, Sakura sent another fissure into the earth, and Danzo jumped again. Just then, he realized his mistake. Naruto had jumped up at the same time, and was now advancing with the massive orb hurling straight towards Danzo. The elder had no choice. He signed thrice again and at the last moment, looked into Naruto's eyes to see them yellow again, with an orange color surrounding them.

Danzo died again, and Naruto turned around to see him standing far away from the two teens. Danzo was panting, and looked quite exhausted. He thought, 'That clone at the edge of the clearing was gathering Sage chakra for Naruto! How could I not have noticed that?! Although, who would have thought that Sage chakra can be transferred through clones to the original like that! I'm draining out of chakra too fast. Naruto is certainly quite strong. I need to think of something fast, or I'll have no way out!'

Naruto and Sakura regrouped. They noticed Danzo's arm and saw another Sharingan closing. Sakura quickly counted and said, "Naruto, he has five Sharingans left. That means we have to kill him five times until he becomes vulnerable." Naruto nodded and said, "Unless he uses that one in his right eye, which would make it six times." Sakura said, "You're right. But we must finish this soon, or else we'll be tired out too."

Naruto said, "Hey, you haven't even killed him once. How about doing it while I take a backseat?" She smacked him on the head and shouted, "It's not a competition, you idiot!" He rubbed his head and said, "Geez, alright. You don't need to keep hitting me all the time!"

Naruto took out a kunai and said, "Alright, let's go. And this time, we're gonna need another guy to help. So, Shadow Clone Jutsu!" A facsimile of Naruto stepped out from the cloud of smoke that surrounded them, and said, "Formation 7, right?"

Sakura gasped; they hadn't used Formation 7 since Sasuke had left the Leaf Village. Naruto said, "Yup. If you're up to it, of course, Sakura." She quickly hid her feelings and said, "Of course I am. Let's do it." The clone Naruto came and stood to the left of the original and Sakura stood behind them, and in the center, so that the three of them formed a V.

Naruto said, "Alright! Let's go, Team 7!" The three of them rushed in at a tremendous speed, and Danzo was forced to jump back to avoid the opening salvo of Naruto and his clone's punches. Sakura jumped over the two of them and punched the earth from above, and created a hole in the ground. Danzo jumped up just in time to dodge it, but Naruto threw his clone straight into the elder, and the clone lodged a kunai firmly in Danzo's chest, just below the left ventricle. Danzo managed to sign feebly, and as his body fell to the ground, the clone exploded. Danzo had thrown a kunai at the clone, and was standing away from them again.

Naruto said in a low voice, "Alright! That worked perfectly, Sakura! And with you getting so strong now, you didn't even have to stay back!" Sakura frowned at the slight insult, but let it go. She said, "Don't push it, Naruto. There are still four Sharingans to go."

Danzo thought, 'This is bad. I don't have any option but to use it. I had hoped to keep it, but that boy has taken me out too many times now. I can't even rely on my Sharingans anymore. And it seems that they have figured out what I'm doing. They keep staring at my right arm.' He signed slowly, and said, "Wood Style: Wood Clone Jutsu!" Sakura and Naruto stared in surprise as Danzo's right arm extended and a clone of him suddenly appeared from it. Danzo said, "I need some time to get my energy back. Distract them." The clone nodded and charged towards the duo. Sakura said, "Look out, Naruto. I've heard of this jutsu before. It is said that the Wood Clone Jutsu is the strongest cloning jutsu ever created."

Naruto said, "I know, Sakura. I'm not that much of an idiot. I've only ever seen Yamato Sensei use it before. And it took a lot out of him." Sakura nodded and began to fight the wood clone. Naruto also charged in and they began to slowly drive the wood clone back.

Danzo thanked his stars that he had brought his medicine pouch with him. He quickly took out two food pills, a plasma pill and a small bottle filled with a blue liquid. He consumed everything, and started to feel his chakra and energy return. He kept his pouch back in his robes and thought of the situation. 'My Sharingans are not going to return. If I defeat them, I cannot allow myself to become vulnerable anymore. I should use my jutsus more conservatively. Naruto doesn't take a hit easily and if he does, it heals almost instantly. Sakura is excellent at close range fighting, so that leaves TaiJutsu out of the question. Wait, how about GenJutsu? In the reports I read yesterday, Naruto's GenJutsu is terrible. And although Sakura's GenJutsu is good, I doubt she can resist S-Rank ones easily.'

With a plan in mind, Danzo called his wood clone back. The clone retreated and Naruto and Sakura followed him. The clone suddenly shot out wooden beams out of his arm, and the two teens scattered to avoid them. Danzo's clone turned into wood and Danzo face palmed. He thought, 'Just when I was going to use him as a distraction! Oh, well. Now that I'm back in fighting shape, I'll just have to create another clone.'

Naruto suddenly felt himself return to normal and Sakura said, "Naruto, you're…" He nodded and said, "I'm out of Sage chakra now. I guess I'll just fight normally for some time. Handling Sage chakra is quite intense. I guess we're back to base one now though, I could sense that the geezer's chakra has returned." Sakura said, "We never should have taken our eyes off of him."

Danzo created another wood clone and the two old men faced the two teenagers. Naruto said, "I've had enough of this guy now. I'm going to end it fast and furious." Sakura said, "Damn right. A guy who has to be killed 10 times? That's a little much." She cracked her knuckles and pulled her gloves tighter. Naruto adjusted his coat. Then they looked at each other and nodded. In synchronization, the two of them signed and shouted, "Ninja Arts: Weapon Summoning!"

As Danzo's eyes widened again, two clouds of smoke appeared in front of the two teens. As the smoke cleared, Danzo saw Sakura holding a battle axe in her right hand, and Naruto holding…

"A staff blade?!"

Danzo began to laugh and said, "You wasted your chakra by summoning a staff blade? That's so…" Naruto smirked and sent a sliver of wind chakra into the staff blade. With only a second's delay, it transformed into a broadsword. That stopped Danzo's laugh cold. He stared at the sword, wondering how deadly it could be. Naruto said, "How's my staff blade looking now, geezer?"

Danzo said, "That is fairly impressive, making use of chakra like that. But all the weapons in the world won't help you if you cannot hit me." Sakura smiled sweetly and said, "We'll see about that, won't we?" Naruto nodded and said, "Damn right."

Danzo cursed under his breath and said, "Alright, let's see what you've got." He quickly extracted another kunai from his hidden pocket and charged along with his clone towards the teens. Naruto and Sakura quickly dropped into their weapon stances and waited. But just as Danzo's clone reached Naruto, he substituted for the real Danzo, who swung his kunai straight at Naruto's stomach. With only a moment to react, Naruto wasn't completely able to dodge the attack, and a small cut opened up on his stomach, which began to heal immediately. Naruto retaliated by swinging Kitsune towards Danzo's right arm. Danzo blocked the sword with his kunai, and without the slightest resistance, Naruto's sword cut through the kunai as though it was made of paper.

Danzo's eyes widened and he hopped back quickly. He tried to extract another kunai, but Naruto didn't give him a chance. As Danzo tried to defend himself, he saw his clone getting beheaded by Sakura. The clone turned back to wood and Danzo cursed again. Naruto mocked, "What's the matter? Careful plan coming apart in front of your eyes?"

Danzo stared at him angrily, and then said, "You better watch your mouth, boy." Naruto smiled, "Or what?" Danzo said, "You may be forgetting that I have an army of Root members at my disposal. I can call them at any time and have you killed." Naruto said, "So where are they, then? I don't see any of them around to save your ass."

Danzo said, "Just because I didn't call them yet doesn't mean that they won't come running as soon as I do." Naruto said, "Well, I'm waiting, then. Let's see how your ANBU's strength matches up to mine." Danzo said, "Arrogance will only take you so far."

Just then, Sakura caught up to them and said, "How come you're not done yet, Naruto?" Naruto retorted, "The geezer is quite a talker. He says he can call his army of ANBU members to kill us at any time."

Sakura snorted and said, "Well, it won't take me any time to dismember the members of your ANBU members, if you catch my drift." Danzo saw her eyes lower and slightly colored. Then he suddenly went into a stance and started signing rapidly. Naruto started charging at him, "Oh no, you don't…" Bu suddenly, a gust of wind blew him back. He fell backwards but managed to right himself up. Sakura said, "What happened?" He replied, "I got blown away by his wind chakra."

Danzo was surprised to see that he was only slightly affected by the chakra that he had exuded. Then he remembered that Naruto was also a Wind Style user. He completed his hand signs and unleashed another wind shuriken barrage at the two of them. Naruto quickly signed as well, and invoked, "Wind Style: Giant Wind Gale!"

A huge gust of wind was created above Naruto and swooshed in front of him, dissolving the wind shurikens, and continuing towards Danzo, who could only cross his arms in front of him and hope for the best. Luckily, one of the shurikens had weakened the area of the gale where Danzo passed through, so he survived with only a few minor cuts to his hand. However, he cried out in dismay as he saw one of his Sharingans totally destroyed by the gale. It was cut into three pieces, and closed down as he looked at it.

Danzo lost it. He charged at Naruto with the ferocity of a young teenager, and Naruto was forced to actively dodge his attacks, rather than simply toying around. He said, "Stay back for a while and assess the situation, Sakura." She nodded and signed, "Ninja Arts: Five Sense Augmentation!" She amplified all her senses, and noticed that Danzo's muscles seemed to be moving quite faster than usual, but at a rate which would soon leave him in quite a bad shape. Then she noticed that he had a lot more chakra in his body than usual. Realization dawned upon her and she shouted, "NARUTO! WATCH OUT! DANZO HAS OPENED THE FIRST INNER GATE!"

Danzo's eyes again widened in surprise. How did the girl know about the inner gates? Then he remembered Might Gai and his student, who had opened the inner gates during the qualifiers for the Chunin exams. He quickly opened the Second Gate, compensating his muscles for the strength they gave him at that time. Naruto suddenly noticed it as well. He said, "You do know that the gates don't last forever, right? And they injure the body just as much."

Danzo smirked and said, "It doesn't matter, as long as I can defeat you first." Naruto continued dodging his attacks, wondering how he could go about getting Danzo to stop in his tracks. He suddenly realized that he was no longer using Kitsune, and quickly channeled a little lightning chakra into it. The staff blade suddenly extended into a whip and Naruto lashed it out at Danzo. The old man had no time to react, and was caught in the whip, which let out a huge jolt of electricity.

Danzo somehow managed to substitute himself for a log, and fell to the ground, the electricity still coursing through his body. He managed to get up to his knees, and looked up to see Naruto standing with the broadsword. As he saw Naruto's hand move, he quickly signed three times.

Sakura noticed the chakra being channeled into one of the remaining Sharingans. She saw the GenJutsu which Danzo used to displace the reality which Naruto was in and turn it into a dream. Naruto cut off Danzo's head, and the Sharingan shut down. Danzo reappeared a few meters away, holding his neck as though afraid it might fall off. Naruto was about to continue when Sakura called out to him. He quickly fell back and she said, "Danzo's using a GenJutsu related to the Sharingans. It alters the reality where he dies and turns it into a dream. It also creates a new reality where he can position himself however he likes. I saw it with my Five Sense Augmentation right now."

Naruto nodded and said, "No wonder I felt different when I killed him using Sage Mode. I could feel the chakra in my own body getting displaced, but I didn't think it would be a GenJutsu at that time. Anyway, there's only two more to go, and then he's as vulnerable as anyone else."

Sakura nodded and said, "What else do we do to kill him? We've used TaiJutsu, NinJutsu, weapons, and what not. Wait, how about GenJutsu?" Naruto said, "Won't that fail against the Sharingan in his right eye?" She pondered over that and said, "We could try. After all, it didn't originally belong to him to begin with." Naruto said, "Well, it's up to you. I can't use GenJutsu to save my life." She nodded and said, "That's for damn sure."

Naruto engaged Danzo in combat again, and Sakura waited. Just as Danzo turned his eyes away from her, she signed, slowly and deliberately, and whispered, "Ninja Arts: Five Sense Alteration Jutsu." Unlike the augmentation technique, this was a GenJutsu which altered the enemy's senses. Danzo didn't even realize that he had fallen under the GenJutsu, due to his focus on Naruto.

Naruto grinned slightly, as Danzo stumbled on a tree log. Danzo frowned; he thought he had jumped over it. Naruto continued the attack, and Danzo found himself getting punched and kicked a lot more than he thought. 'What is this? I'm being hit even though I'm dodging and blocking him! What has he done? Is it his Sage Mode again?'

Naruto landed a particularly strong punch in Danzo's solar plexus, and the old traitor wheezed in discomfort as he doubled over. Naruto landed his foot over Danzo's shoulder in an axe kick, and the older man fell to the ground. Naruto quickly plunged the blunt end of Kitsune towards him, but Danzo saw the attack coming and somehow managed to shunshin far away, where he surmised the situation.

Now that he was paying attention to himself, he found out that his body had two different chakras inside it. He quickly intoned, "Release!" and the effects of Sakura's GenJutsu went away. Danzo found his eyesight changing back to normal and said, "That is a most effective GenJutsu. It changed the sight of my eyes to focus a few inches to the right of where they should have, allowing Naruto to punch me successfully, rather than me blocking it."

Sakura said, "It didn't just change your sense of sight. It changed all of your senses. Didn't you notice that you couldn't smell anything? Or that Naruto's punches felt much more sensitive than they should have? Or, for the record that you couldn't hear where his punch was coming from?"

Danzo nodded and said, "That is quite impressive. To be able to alter all the senses of another human is one of the toughest things to do. I would say that this is an S-Rank GenJutsu." Sakura nodded and said, "Too bad that this praise isn't going to help you. You're going down."

Danzo was desperate now. He thought of escaping, but knew that Naruto was one of the few ninjas in the village who didn't tire easily. 'He could easily catch up to me. I need to make sure that he doesn't follow me. But how can I escape? They can cut me off no matter what I try. Things aren't looking too good for me. Darn that Orochimaru! Why did he have to die?! I needed to perfect my arm so I could use Wood Style without tiring myself out!'

Naruto was getting irritated by this long battle. He said, "Hey Sakura. Let's finish this soon. I'm tired of this long fight." Sakura nodded and said, "Been there." Naruto looked inside his psyche and said, "Hey Kyuubi, can you lend me some of your chakra? I want to finish this guy and your chakra could really lend me a hand." The fox snorted and said, "**Why should I lend you any of my chakra? As if I care whether that old geezer lives or not!**" Naruto smirked and said, "Oh, I think you do care. After all, you did save me from the Koto… whatever the hell that was."

The Nine Tails smirked and said, "**I just didn't want you to lose control to someone as weak as that guy, when you could take back control from a God like me.**" Naruto laughed and said, "Think mighty highly of yourself, don't you? Well, if you really believe that you're a God, pass judgment on Danzo right now."

The Nine Tails pondered for a few seconds and then said, "**Alright brat. I'm getting tired of seeing this guy around all the time anyway. I'll give you some chakra to finish this fight quickly. But don't expect me to help again.**" Naruto smirked to himself and thought, 'I knew it. Kyuubi's getting soft.'

In the outside world, Sakura gasped as she suddenly saw Naruto transform. She said, "Naruto, what…" Then she suddenly remembered the transformation that Naruto had undergone when he was fighting the demon Doraku. She thought, 'So, this is the same transformation as he did.' A burst of chakra shot up in the air from Naruto's body, engulfing him within it. His clothes and skin turned golden in color, and his uniform extended below at the end to form a cloak. Nine black tomoe appeared on the back of his uniform. His eyes became a dark orange and his pupils turned to slits.

Danzo stared at this transformation with both worry and awe. He thought, 'Has the boy managed to control the Nine Tails as well?! This is unbelievable! How could he manage that at this tender age?' Naruto looked up straight into Danzo's eyes. Then he smirked.

Before Danzo could even see it, Naruto had punched him in the stomach so hard that his arm had come out through the old man's back. Danzo coughed up a gallon of blood as Naruto let him go and he fell to the ground. Danzo slowly signed thrice and disappeared. He flung a paper bomb attached to a kunai at Naruto's back, who didn't even turn around. One of the golden tails behind Naruto caught the kunai in it, and flung it back at Danzo, who barely avoided it. Sakura gazed in awe at the sheer strength of Naruto's chakra, which was destroying the ground beneath it with his every step.

Naruto said, "It's over, Danzo. Give up now." Danzo said, "I may be many things, Naruto, but a coward isn't one of them." Naruto nodded with a little more respect in his eyes, and said, "Then you are prepared to die?" Danzo nodded and said, "In this ninja world, there are many who have never lived to see the age that I have. I am glad to have been able to live a full life, and work for my village for so long. I only hope that my death will not lead the village into turmoil."

Danzo signed thrice again and charged at Naruto. The Jinchuuriki waited until the last moment and then thrust a Giant Rasengan right into Danzo's head. Danzo disappeared again and reappeared to his right, trying to land a punch in Naruto's stomach. Naruto hopped back and noticed the last Sharingan on Danzo's hand closing. He said, "Your Sharingan trick is over. What now?"

Danzo said, "Even if my Izanagi is over, I am still a ninja. And I have anyway accepted the fat that awaits me. If I die, I die fighting." Sakura asked, "Since you're dying anyway, can you explain how this Izanagi works?" Danzo said, "Sure, why not? Izanagi is an ancient Uchiha technique which works using the Sharingan. It is one of the forbidden techniques which alter the line between reality and GenJutsu itself. Whenever I do the three hand signs, I activate Izanagi. If I die within sixty seconds after the activation of the Izanagi, I can alter the timeline of my death to turn it into a GenJutsu and create a different reality in which I am not dead. However, there is a price to be paid for this. The eye which uses the Izanagi loses its light, that is to say, it closes down forever. That is why, to cheat death ten times, I implanted ten Sharingans in my arm. However, the Sharingans are not only part of the body, but also part of the soul. It is extremely difficult to keep them in check, which is why I used cells from the First Hokage to keep them in check."

Sakura said, "So, this Izanagi, you say? Does it work for every Sharingan?" Naruto wondered why Sakura was bothering to ask all this, but kept quiet. From within his psyche, Kyuubi growled and said, "**I thought I gave you my power to kill Danzo, not to just stand around lolling. Forget it, I'm taking it back.**" Naruto went back to normal. Sakura noticed this and said, "What happened, Naruto?"

The knucklehead replied, "Kyuubi got bored of waiting for me to kill the geezer, so he took back his chakra." Sakura said, "So that means… you were using the Nine Tailed Fox's power right now? But you looked so different from before, when you were surrounded by red chakra."

Naruto said, "Yeah, well it's kinda hard to explain. It's got something to do with the fox's chakra being joined to the fox's will. When you separate the two of them, and only use the chakra, you transform the way I did just now. If you can't separate them, then you get that red chakra which I did before, because the fox's will was also imposed upon me."

Sakura nodded and said, "Alright. Explain in detail later. For now, let's focus on one thing." Naruto sheepishly said, "Well, I was explaining in detail right now…. Screw it. Pervy Sage can explain it better anyway." Danzo prepared himself for the final attack.

Naruto and Sakura both attacked as one. They moved fluidly, not even needing to speak, their teamwork flawless. As Danzo dodged and blocked their attacks, he thought, 'Well, they certainly make a wonderful team. I wonder if I've been wrong this entire time.' As he prepared to unleash another jutsu, Naruto quickly created a distraction by hurling a shadow clone at the old man. Danzo dodged the clone and saw Naruto signing at a speed which would have impressed Kakashi. Naruto roared, "Secret Wind Style: Zero Point Gale!" Danzo's eyes widened as the winds around Naruto began swirling in a deadly fashion. They winds gained speed and soon began screeching with the sheer amount of power they exuded. Sakura crossed her hands in front of her to block all the winds which were near her.

Danzo thought, 'This is it then. After all this time, I was defeated by a mere boy. Well, I can hardly call him a boy now, he's quite the ninja. If only I had not been so foolhardy… Well, Hiruzen, looks like I get to join you soon.' The giant gale of wind headed straight towards Danzo, who looked Naruto straight in the eye, and Naruto could have sworn that he smiled.

The wind gale sharpened and cut through Danzo as if he were a bale of hay. He gasped as he felt himself losing the ability to breathe; his heart desperately trying to pump more blood, and his brain trying to function properly. Visions flashed in front of his eyes, a young Hiruzen sitting next to him, smiling; an old Hiruzen talking to him angrily; his Root members kneeling before him; Orochimaru implanting the cells of the First Hokage in his arm.

At the last moment, he realized how wrong he had been and how right the Third Hokage had been. He thought, 'Well, at least I realized it before I brought any more damage to the village. I thought that I would strengthen the village, but in fact, I plotted against it, and tried to bring it down, by trying to murder the Hokage so many times. And yet, Hiruzen and Princess Tsunade forgave me every time. Ah, how fitting an end for me, after all the violence I caused, saying that it was for the sake of the village.'

_Danzo straightened up. He stretched his back, and got rid of the crick in his neck. He looked around the surrounding area and saw that everything was dark. There was simply a fire in front of him and two logs of wood. He went and sat down, not sure what was going to happen here._

_As he waited, footsteps sounded behind him and he looked around to see Hiruzen Sarutobi walking up to him. He said, "So, am I finally dead then?" The Third Hokage nodded and said, "That you are. I must say, Danzo, I was surprised that you lasted so long, after all the conspiracies you hatched." Danzo scratched the back of his head, and then realized that his right hand was normal again. He said, "So, how come you're here? Aren't you supposed to be in the Reaper's stomach?" Hiruzen shook his head and replied, "I am not really here, Danzo. This is just a little of my chakra and soul that the Shinigami allowed to enter the afterlife to have a chat with you. After all, this is the last stage before death." Danzo looked confused and asked, "What does that mean?" Hiruzen sat on a log and indicated that Danzo should too. He said, "This is the place where it will be decided whether you can pass onto the next realm or not. You see, if your sins outweigh your good deeds, you cannot be a part of the afterlife, and you will be destined to roam between the two realms forever."_

_Then Hiruzen smiled. He said, "But I don't think you need to worry about that. I have already asked the Shinigami to forgive you, and my word holds a bit of power here. So, I guess you're welcome to join if you wish." Danzo stood. He said, "I realized all the mistakes I made when I fought Naruto, and I understood why you always acted the way you did, trying to talk your way out of anything, rather than trying to eliminate the threats. If I had only seen that sooner…"_

_Hiruzen laughed and said, "Yes, Naruto does have that effect on everyone, doesn't he? I must say, he's changed you quite a lot as well." Danzo nodded wisely and said, "So, what now? Where do we go from here?" Hiruzen said, "Are you sure you're ready? You're going to have to face a lot of people there, not to mention Shisui, who was quite peeved at you the last time I checked."_

_Danzo grinned and said, "You know I never back down from anything, Hiruzen."_

_The Third Hokage smiled and said, "Then let's go."_

Naruto and Sakura stood watching, as the winds died down, and Danzo lay on the ground at long last. Sakura heaved a sigh of relief and said, "Well, it's finally over."

"It sure is, Sakura."

The two teens spun around to see Lady Tsunade standing behind them, with around a hundred or more ANBU members behind her. She said, "You know, I was worried for a moment or so, that you guys may not pull it off. But it looks like I underestimated you again." Sakura looked at her in confusion, and Tsunade understood, and elaborated, "These are the members of the Root Foundation. I asked them to come here in order to take Danzo away and give him a proper send off."

Naruto nodded and said, "So, how do we do this? Now that Danzo's dead, who controls the Root?" Tsunade pondered over that for a bit and then said, "I'll worry about that later. Right now, we need to decide what to do with that Sharingan in his right eye. It no doubt belongs to Shisui. I guess we need to have it removed and keep it safe for the time being. It is much too valuable to be destroyed."

Naruto and Sakura nodded. Tsunade said to the Root members, "Give me a moment and then you can take him with you." The Root member in front, wearing a tiger mask, nodded and she said, "Make sure there's no witnesses, Tenzo." He said in a low voice, "I thought my name had been changed to…" She hushed him and whispered, "I don't want **them** to know that it's you." He realized what she meant and nodded. He went towards the body along with the Hokage. She quickly ran a few checks on his body to see if he was really dead. Then she carefully cut the optic nerves around Danzo's right eye with her chakra, and put the eye in a small container filled with a greenish liquid.

Tenzo picked up Danzo's body and nodded to the other Root members. They all vanished into the ground simultaneously. Tsunade straightened up, and said, "Let's head back to the village. Much as I hate to say it, I need to know the details of the battle, no matter how gruesome." She sighed and the three of them went back to the village.


End file.
